Problems, Secrets, and Love
by girlofalltalents
Summary: Percy is leader of a dangerous gang and intimidates almost everyone on the Manhattan streets. Annabeth Chase is a smart blonde who has had a rough time with family and comes to live with a friend in Manhattan. They both have had troubled pasts and current problems. What happens when these individuals meet? AU, Rated T for swearing and usage of alcohol.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I hope you guys like this story, and constructive criticism is welcome. I've been having this idea for a while now, and I hope to post at least once per week. **

**Please read and review, hope you like it! (:**

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Annabeth's POV

I drowsily checked my phone for the time, as the flight attendant and pilot announced we were landing soon. 11:03 PM. I groaned; I hadn't gotten a good sleep for a while now. I looked out the window at New York, which was brightly lit by the city lights. I could see a few selected monuments, and I couldn't help admiring the beautiful architecture.

Architecture. Mom. I didn't realize I was scowling until a few minutes later. You see, I had a really problematic relationship with my family which was the main reason I decided to move here; to Manhattan.

I was going to stay with Thalia, a close friend of mine before I had permanently moved to California. We still kept in touch, but there was a time in between in which my life took a turn for the worst and I lost many things including our long-distance friendship. I was actually slightly nervous, but I didn't give it much thought. She was like my sister.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and as I watched the plane landed, soon signaling we all could start getting our luggage. I didn't have to pick up my luggage, it was actually sent to her address to be less of a hassle for me. Grabbing my tote bag, I navigated through the airport and called a taxi.

"Where to?" The man asked politely.

"Um, here's the address, I'm not sure if you know it…" I shuffled throughout my bad, searching for a piece of paper with the address which I soon gave to the driver. He looked at it carefully, and then handed it back to me, smiling.

"I've been there quite a bit actually; it will take a while though." I closed my door and pulled out a small book, which you can guess was about architecture. I was reading when I heard speaking, and I soon realize the driver had put the radio on.

"Sorry miss, but do you mind if I listen real quickly?" He looked at me for an answer, and I shrugged.

"Go ahead, thanks for asking." I said, shutting the book for a while to listen to it too.

"-spotted some evidence of the Manhattan gang, Half-Bloods, who were apparently after a middle-aged man who owned a shop in the area. However, reporters say he was not indeed harmed, but threatened by the gang leader, Percy Jackson. Until we get more information, here is the sports news with-"

The driver turned the radio off, and I turned my attention back to the book, but honestly, I was quite distracted from that little piece of information.

"Thank you miss, my family lives in Manhattan, and was going out to eat tonight and I wanted to make sure they were safe." I smiled in surprise; I didn't realize people here could have such big hearts for their family.

Just when I was going to go back to reading, I remembered the name _Percy Jackson._ It sounded strangely familiar, though I couldn't put a pin on it. _Must be a jerk anyway, _I thought.

The driver stopped in front of a street.

"The house you are looking for is through that path right there, which will lead you to the back. There are no parking spaces there so I can't get you there directly, miss." He muttered a quick sorry and held the door for me. I politely said thank you and made my way through the path he was talking about.

Something didn't feel right though, but it was probably just the fear from listening to the radio. I shoved the thought out of my head, it was just some nonsense they needed to get publicity, I told myself.

I felt someone watching me and suddenly I heard a _thump_ behind me. I stood still; paralyzed in shock. When I turned around, I saw a middle-age man on the ground right behind me.

Just as I was getting my phone out to call the police, a voice made me jump.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing on the streets by yourself?" I jumped, and turned around to see a few muscular teenage boys, but the boy in front really caught my eyes. He looked up and I saw his green eyes, unreadable but mesmerizing. He had messy raven-black hair that made him look gorgeous. He looked dangerous, with his bandana and black leather jacket and jeans, and I felt somewhat weak in front of him and the three other boys. He was holding a gun and judging by the position, he had knocked the man behind me out.

"Who are you?" I tried to make it come out confidently, but it sounded a lot weaker than I was hoping for.

"You don't know who we are?! Must be new around here. You look like a chick from California, am I right?" He stepped forward, causing me to stagger backwards.

"Just go mess around with another girl; I'm not wasting my time on an idiot like you." I said this glaring at him hard, making him snicker and then smirk.

"Listen, sweetheart. I just thought you might have needed your ass saved." He scowled, coming closer to me. Part of me knew he was right and that the man behind me was a kidnapper, but of course, my pride got the best of me.

"I didn't need your help anyway, so just leave me alone." I shot back, glaring even harder. He looked at me disbelievingly.

"Keep telling yourself that, but don't ask me to save you next time." He said, swiftly coming forward when I was in shock and putting his arms around my waist. As much as I hated to admit it, it felt strangely right. I tried to push him off, but he held my hands.

"Listen, WiseGirl, you might think you know everything, but you have no clue what's out there, so don't let your pride get the best of you next time." He whispered softly in my ear, making me shiver. I couldn't believe he had that effect on me and it freaked me out.

He was about to do something when something behind me caught his eye. He let me go and muttered something to his fellow gang members in what I recognized was Greek. They nodded as if they completely understood, and started heading the other direction.

Now, I was utterly confused. Why did they just leave like that? I had a bunch of other questions in my head, but everything left me when I saw a girl in front of the house I was standing by.

"T-Thalia?" I stuttered, a smile slowly making its way on both of our faces.

"Annabeth!" She cried, hugging me fiercely. "You've grown so much! How has life been? It's been so long!" she literally shouted, grinning at me.

I grinned back, feeling really happy inside. She was the closest person I had as far as family goes and knowing she cared made me elated.

"I'm good; it's great to see you too. But one main question; did you see those guys over there?" I asked her more seriously, and I was able to catch a slight look of panic on her face.

"What guys?" she said, trying to sound unsure. However, as I looked in her eyes, I could tell it was a lie, but I figured I shouldn't push it. I could tell it was a sensitive topic. Had she been the one who stopped them…

No. There must have been some other gang on the other side. The probability of that wasn't great, but I needed some idea to keep me calm.

I hid my anxiety and followed Thalia inside the house.

"The guest bedroom is upstairs, next to mine, and if you go further down the hall, you'll find the bathroom and my brother's room. Something you should keep in mind; don't go in there. It's messy as hell." She grinned at the last part, helping me get to my room.

"I'm probably going to be in your room most of the time anyway." I said, smiling. "I see your taste of clothing hasn't changed." She stuck her tongue out at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Real mature, Thals." I saw my luggage was already brought to my room so I just threw my bag on it. She dragged me to her room, which was, _of course_, mostly black with her "Green Day" posters and similar decorations. I saw she was wearing her "Death to Barbie" shirt, a _black_ leather jacket, and _black_ skinny jeans. Her hair was short and spiky, raven-black, and suited her very well. She had pale skin and electric blue eyes, quite unusual but intimidating.

She saw me looking at her shirt and laughed.

"Don't you love my shirt?" She joked, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling myself.

"So, tomorrow is the first day of school. You ready?" Thalia peered over her phone at me, just as I was getting mine out.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, it's just school right?" I replied, and she rolled her eyes.

"For you, I mean you were a born genius." I slightly blushed, but stuck my tongue out at her anyway.

"_Real Mature, Annabeth"_ She mimicked, from what I told her earlier. I groaned and she laughed at my obvious irritation.

"Anyway, we should probably sleep then. Goodnight, Annie." She said, smirking at me.

"If you call me that one more time, I'm going to have to kill you." I said, glaring at her.

"Calm down, I won't call you that, Annie." She snickered.

"Ugh" I mumbled, heading back to my room to sleep, sending a soft "see you tomorrow" over my shoulder. I heard an incoherent mumble, and I figured it was Thalia's reply. When I finally got dressed in my pajamas, I got into bed and went to sleep thinking mostly about school, but somehow, a certain green-eyed boy I couldn't get out of my mind.

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**There you go! First chapter, tell me how you like it. It is mainly in Annabeth's POV, probably only switched a little.**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I'm back! I am so sorry I didn't update earlier, but starting now, I am going to update once a week. **

**Here's the next chapter, hope you like it!**

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Annabeth's POV

I lazily hit the snooze button on my alarm clock as it rang in my ears. I groaned as I looked at the time; 7:00 AM. I tiredly got out of bed and went to Thalia's room; well aware she probably wasn't awake.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Rise and shine." I smirked as she swatted me away and went back to sleep.

"Well, you asked for it." I muttered, before getting a bucket of water and pouring it on her face. That woke her up with a start.

"ANNABETH CHASE! YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE!" she yelled, glaring at me and trying to hit me with a pillow. I silently laughed at her antics and dodged the pillow.

"I'm sorry, what did I do wrong?" I asked innocently, smirking as Thalia glared harder.

"Oh, this isn't over, Chase." A creepy smile came on Thalia's face and for a second, I almost regretted what I did. Sighing, I pulled her out of bed and we both started getting ready. She got dressed, put on some mascara, and then got her books ready.

I, on the other hand, combed my hair, wore a loose-fitting white shirt, denim shorts, and used a little mascara. Normally, I didn't use make-up, but today was the first day so I decided _some _ mascara won't hurt. I double-checked that I had everything I needed for school, including all my textbooks and architecture book in case I get bored in my classes.

"Ready, Annie?" she said cheekily, smirking at me. I sighed out of pure frustration.

"Sure, I'm driving." I called, grabbing the keys from the stand she kept them.

"Oh you give me those keys, miss, or you're in big trouble." She glared at me and held her hands out for the keys.

"What keys?" I asked, acting confused. She glared and then smacked me with a pillow from the couch, snatching the keys away, and then smiled sweetly.

"Let's go, then." She smirked at me and led the way to her car. I rolled her eyes, getting up from my position on the ground, thanks to her dear pillow.

* * *

The car ride was quite normal, or as normal as driving with Thalia can get. She was singing (cough*cough*shouting wrong notes*cough) the entire way, but thankfully we reached school before she could burst my eardrums.

"Wow, that was a lot of shouting, *ehem*, excuse me, _singing_." She turned to glare at me.

"Hey, I was not a born singer so cut down with the snarky comments of yours, princess." She scoffed, as we both made our way to the office to get my schedule. Once I got my schedule, Thalia snatched it out of my hand to read it.

"Okay so, Calculus, then Chemistry, English, Lunch, P.E., Ancient Greek, History." She made a face after reading it.

"What?" I asked, and she snapped out of her thinking to look at me.

"Oh, sorry, we only have three classes together, but I'm sure you'll be fine, some people here are very friendly." She gave me a reassuring smile, and I gave her a thankful smile back. The bell rang to seconds later, and Thalia turned toward me.

"You haven't gone to your locker yet right? Well, I need to go to homeroom, but since it's your first day, you can easily get there late and just say the schedule processing was, um, slow."

"But-"

"Okay, carry those textbooks around all day. I'm fine with that." She gave me a sarcastic look, and I rolled my eyes.

"Ugh, you win. I'll be there at homeroom soon." She said a quick goodbye and left me walking toward my locker, which was coincidentally on the _other _side of the locker area.

I made a sharp turn and without notice, I bumped into someone and fell straight down with them. I groaned in pain as we collided with the ground. I was about to say 'sorry', but when I opened my eyes, I saw sea-green eyes smirking straight at me.

Great, Percy freaking Jackson.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" I said angrily, trying to get off him. He, however, just rolled us over so he was on top.

"Not so fast. And just so you know, I _go _here. I need my education, babe." I glared daggers at him and struggled to get my hands free, but it was pointless since he was pinning my wrists down with his hands.

"Listen, _asshole_, I have to get to class soon so get off me and leave me alone. Just because you "helped" me yesterday doesn't mean you get free privileges into my life." He laughed and leaned down closer to me, so our lips were nearly an inch apart. His eyes were mesmerizing and I found myself looking into them until I snapped out of it and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Well, since I did "help" you, don't I get a thank you?" He said, one of his hands slowly creeping up my arm. I shivered but still gave him an intense glare.

"No, now get _off_ me before I call someone."

"No thank-you? Well, that isn't very polite." A smirk crept on his face."Then I guess you owe me anyways."

He leaned in to my neck, his lips hovering over it. I let out a slight whimper, but then urged myself to stay strong. _Come on, Annabeth,_ I told myself. _You can get out of this._ Just as his lips were about to touch my neck, we heard footsteps in the hallway behind me. He got off me and I sighed in relief, before standing up and picking up a few books I had dropped.

"Why aren't you both in class?" Mrs. Dodds, the Algebra teacher asked. I was just about to open my mouth to reply when she cut me off.

"Detention, Ms. Chase and Mr. Jackson. I hear its the first day here for both of you, and you aren't at a very good start. We do not tolerate any nonsense here and we expect discipline from every student. You will serve your detention at the end of the week." She gave us both her "evil eye" and continued down the hallway to the teacher's lounge.

I groaned and stepped up to my locker, detention on the first day was certainly not a good sign. I got all my books in my locker and was closing is when I remembered Percy was there too. As soon as I turned around, he put one hand on the locker, cornering me against the locker.

"Now, where were we?"

He gave me a smirk as he leaned in. I, however, was better to react this time, so I stamped on his foot hard and saw him hold his leg up in pain.

This time, I smirked and turned to face him.

"Looks like the _gang leader_ got hurt by a girl. Not so tough, eh, Seaweed Brain?" I smirked at him, and then turned to walk to homeroom, when he spoke up.

"I go easy on girls, you know, so I don't hurt them. Anyway, see you at detention, babe!" He said, winking at me as I sent him a glare, the smirk wiped off my face. The nerve of him. He _insults _girls and then calls me "babe". _That idiot even got me_ detention, I though furiously. I angrily stomped to homeroom, thinking of ways I could get him back for that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyy! Well, as you can see, I've written the next chapter, and hopefully it is good. I am quite happy I was able to update this fast because it doesn't usually happen. (:**

**Anyway, here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy it!**

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Annabeth's POV

I frustratedly stomped my way to homeroom, muttering unpleasant words about a certain green-eyed idiot. When I got there the teacher, Mr. Brunner, gave me a small smile.

"Hello, you must be Annabeth Chase. Your friend Thalia, here, told me that you had a few schedule problems and you will be late. Please have a seat, you are excused today but I will not excuse you in the future."

"Thank you, sir." I replied.

I gave him a smile and went to the back of the room to take my seat next to Thalia. Mr. Brunner announced we had some extra time before first period, some could all talk for sometime. I turned to Thalia and raised an eyebrow.

"You told him?"

"Yup, you're welcome." She grinned, making me playfully roll my eyes in response.

"What class do you have first period, Thals?" I asked, since I forgot her schedule.

"What? Oh, yeah, I have Pre Calc." Her face suddenly turned into a shocked face. "Shit! I forgot to bring the notebooks from my locker. Ms. Dodds going to _kill _me!" I was about to suggest an idea to her when she ran to Mr. Brunner, asking him if she could go to her locker.

I shook my head fondly at her antics before pulling out a book to read. Suddenly, someone rudely tapped my back.

"Hey, WiseGirl. Nice to see you. Is this you homeroom too?" I jumped when I heard that voice. Not _him._

My happiness drained out quite fast and I turned around to see none other than Percy Jaclson leaning casually on my desk.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, giving him an exasperated look. He just smirked at me.

"I just wanted to say 'hi' to my fellow classmate. Is that wrong?" He asked, giving me one of his innocent looks. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Okay, now since you've said 'hi' you can leave." I glared at him and then returned to reading the book I had in my hands.

"Come on, sweetheart. Are you always this uptight about everything?" I gave him my best glare, but he just shrugged it off.

"I'm not uptight. I am just sick of you and your _I'm-Percy-Jackson-so-I'm-so-cool_ act." I said.

"Maybe, but you don't know how to have fun. I don't blame you; all nerds are like that." He grinned at me, knowing he had gotten to me. I hated it when people called me a _nerd_ with a bad connotation to it; it makes me sound really out of place. _  
_

"Is that a challenge, Jackson? Because I can be as fun as you." I replied. I knew this probably would lead to trouble, but what can I say? Me and my pride.

He gave me an annoying smirk, like I had said exactly what he wanted me to.

"If you really are as fun as me, I challenge you to meet up with me at the bar on 47th Street, next week. No wait, after detention on Friday. Let me show you what real _fun_ is." Just as he finished, the bell rang, so he winked at me and left me without another word. I growled. _He won't be expecting what comes his way, _I thought.

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I walked to my first class, which was Calculus. It was boring as usual; teachers always start with our "review" of things we've talked about at least a million times, so math went by really quickly.

As I was walking to chemistry, I met up with Thalia on her way in. We both found seats together in the back, where we sat. We were just watching an "educational" video about important chemical compounds, reactions, and some other crap, so Thalia and I just talked to each other the whole time. I asked her the first question that came to my mind.

"Hey, do you know anything about Percy Jackson?" I asked casually, but I gave Thalia a suspicious look when I saw how she stiffened at his name.

"Um, kind of, it's complicated. Why? Is he troubling you? Ugh...I better talk to-" She started mumbling to herself when she looked up at me, remembering I was still there.

"Well, if you don't count him being a bastard and trying to get me mad every two seconds, he's fine. Excuse my language, but once you meet him, you'll get what I mean." I said, and she ducked her head down so I couldn't read her face. Something was up.

"Thalia, do you know him?" I asked slowly, giving her a questioning look. She sighed and looked at me. Her eyes held a bit of sadness and worry, and they were guarded.

"Okay, if I tell you the truth, you promise me you won't tell _anyone, _including Percy, okay?" She gave me one of the most serious looks I've ever seen on her, so I nodded back.

"Okay, so, where to begin? First things first, Percy is actually my cousin." Thalia gave me a small smile when my mouth hung open. "He was really kind when we were young, we used to play all the time together as kids, of course with my other cousin, Nico. Then, when Percy's mother got remarried, well, things didn't work out. Nico's mom died shortly too, so they both were in grief."

I felt really sorry for all of them, and suddenly thought of my family.

Thalia continued softly, and I could see her eyes getting misty. "My mom died too, and we all were really sad and angry at our father for letting them just die and not doing anything about it. Of course, we didn't know about Percy's stepdad until it was too late; so then, after all the loss, Nico and Percy decided to join the gang. Percy did it to get money for his mother and younger adopted brother. But Nico, he-he had a sister, and-d she and I knew each o-other really well, an-and then, the gang went-t drinking and she died in an accident..." She trailed off, her head hung and tears streaming out of from her eyes.

I didn't know what to say. "Thalia, I'm so sorry." I said, but she glared at me.

"I don't want any sympathy. Sympathy will not bring her back and I didn't tell you this so you could feel bad for me." She snapped. I sighed and gave her a small hug and smile she gratefully accepted.

"I wasn't saying sorry for that, I felt bad for pestering you to tell me." She gave me an apologetic smile, and I grinned back. Thalia continued her story.

"Nico wasn't the same after her death. He ran away from the gang and I've only heard from him once ever since. Nico, however, blamed Percy because he was there in the same car but was the only one that got out alive. He had many bruises and a broken wrist and leg, but he was able to recover. The driver and another guy, Lee Fletcher, they both died along with Bianca. Bianca di Angelo. Percy, stayed in the gang because of, um, other issues. I 'ought to let him tell you about that. But there you have it. That's my idiotic, disfunctional family. All three of us; Nico, Percy and I, haven't been in touch lately.."

She was about to say more when the bell rang, and she huffed. Wiping her tears, she was the same care-free and strong Thalia again. She grinned at me.

"Off to English we go!" She said, and I raised my eyebrow at her sudden change of mood.

"What? I'm not going to stay sad over some sappy story like that, okay? I thought you knew me, Owl Head." She smirked, feigning hurt by putting her hand over her heart. I rolled my eyes but grinned with her.

* * *

"Okay, let's see, English with Mr. Blowfis._" _We looked at each other and then started laughing really hard and everyone stared at us like we were crazy.

"Blow-fish!" Thalia choked out between laughter. I calmed down and shut her up.

"Come on, let's not make fun of a teacher." I said as we made our way into the classroom, finding two seats next to Piper Mclean, one of my old friends that I used to hang out with before I had to move back to California. She spotted Thalia and tapped a seat next to her, and when she saw me, her mouth stood open in shock. I chuckled and waved.

"Hey, Piper. Remember me?" I said, slightly yelping when she hugged me with full force.

"Annabeth! It's been so long! How have you been? Oh, how's California?" Her eyes were shone with excitement and I gave her a genuine smile.

"It was okay, I guess." I smiled. Piper was a really pretty girl, even though she tried to play down her beauty. Her brown hair was put in a side braid, a few wisps hanging around her face. She was wearing blue skinny jeans and a simple, grey loose-fitting full sleeve, but she still looked gorgeous. I slightly envied how naturally beautiful she was, but that doesn't mean I was disappointed about my appearance.

"Well, we have a lot to catch up on." She said, laughing. I grinned and we both sat down. The rest of the period we just talked and did some researching on the literature of William Shakespeare, which I thought was quite interesting, but they thought was boring and stupid.

After English, we all walked side-by-side to a table for our lunch break.

"So, Piper, anything new?" I asked, but was cut off when a few more people joined us at our table. A blonde-haired boy along with a Latino kid came to our table. Soon enough, others came too. A red-head, a boy with crutches, and a brown-haired girl, who was talking to another beautiful black-haired girl.

"Okay, so Annabeth, meet Jason, Leo, Rachel, Grover, Katie, and Silena." Piper introduced everyone, who said "hi" to me. I smiled back.

"So you have a boyfriend?" Leo asked, and I scowled at him. He laughed, putting his hands up in surrender.

"I'm joking, relax. Please don't kill me." He added, when I glared at him. Everyone else laughed and Thalia faced me, her eyes twinkling.

"And that," she said pointing to Jason,"is my brother and Piper's boyfriend." I stared in shock. I knew Thalia had a brother but he went to go live with their father as a young boy and she hadn't seen him in ages.

"_You're_ Jason? As in Jason Grace?" I asked, before smirking at him. "Glad you decided to show up. Thalia really missed you." I added, laughing with the others at Thalia's scowl.

"Speak for yourself, Chase." She said, rolling her eyes.

Like that, we all made small talk with each other until Lunch was over and I walked to P.E. As soon as I got there, I saw trouble.

As in _him_. Percy winked at me before going into the boys' locker rooms. I groaned and he laughed at my obvious discomfort. Making my way into the girls' locker rooms, I changed and got ready for another period of torture.

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**I'm done! Long chapter, right? Well, in the next one, it involves more Percy, just so you know. **

**Anyway, please read and REVIEW! Hope you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey readers! Here's the next chapter, hope you like it. **

**I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited this story! It means a lot to me, and it motivates me to move on.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review!**

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Annabeth's POV

After I changed into the school P.E. clothes, which were sadly loose and baggy, I stepped into the gym where everyone else was in small groups, each talking to each other. I was about to join Katie and Piper when Percy stepped in my way.

"Have you always been this annoying?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Not to others. You see, it's actually quite fun annoying you." I rolled my eyes and he started talking again. "Did you hear the news? We doing swimming today." He said, I could practically see the excitement in his eyes.

"Um, cool. I don't exactly like swimming so I couldn't really care less." I replied, stifling my laughter at his shocked face. So far, he hasn't tried to flirt with me or anything of the sort, so I actually wasn't to frustrated. But of course, these things only last for a while.

"I can't believe-no wait. I can. Although, an athletic chick like you probably is good at sports right?" His eyes roamed my figure from top to bottom, winking suggestively at me, and I glared daggers at him.

"You perv! Let me guess, you check out all the girls in the school like that." I said, anger evident in my voice. I expected him to deny it, but he just smirked.

"Yeah, but usually there aren't many clothes so I can see clearly." I gaped at him. Then, I punched him on the shoulder.

"I can't believe you aren't ashamed of saying that. But then again, I can't believe you roam around Manhattan terrorizing people." I said. However, that wasn't probably the best thing to say because his eyes turned a dark shade of green. You could see the anger swirling in his eyes, like a hurricane.

"Listen, you don't know what I do and why I do that so keep _out _of it." He glared at me, and I felt really guilty. He wasn't exactly being mean to me, right? I probably wasn't being that nice around him, but he totally asks for it at times. I pulled up my remaining pride and faced him._  
_

"Listen, I'm sorry, okay? For everything. But don't expect me to say that ever again." I said, a small smile coming on his face. I wrinkled my nose because I couldn't believe I just said that, and he caught on immediately.

"I can't believe you said that either!" He remarked, laughing. I rolled my eyes.

"First you act all angry, and you start laughing when I say _sorry_?" I muttered, and he just winked at me. I sighed; if he wasn't so full of himself, he would probably be nice.

"Fine, I won't laugh." He said with a straight face, but then two seconds later, he was grinning like an idiot.

"Come on, the coach is calling us." I said, and he nodded. The rest of P.E. was the usual, running and then changing into swim suits for swimming. I walked and sat down on a bench after changing into a grey bikini that wasn't too revealing. I just _happened_ to see Percy, who was just slipping his shirt off. I had to say, that guy had some abs. He caught me staring, and his face slowly turned to a smirk. I groaned as he walked over, but I couldn't help the fact that I was blushing a little.

"Checking me out, Chase? Well, I hope you like what you see." He said, as I raised an eyebrow at him.

"In you dreams, Seaweed Brain." I replied, a small smirk on my face.

"Seaweed Brain?" He asked, a light smile on his face. I couldn't help but to stare at his expression, it was cute.

I snapped out of it and replied. "Yeah, because you like the water and your head is probably filled with seaweed instead of actual brain cells." I said, smiling at his pout.

"You're lucky you look cute in that bikini, because otherwise, I would seriously make up some ways to get my revenge on you." He said, a smirk forming on his face as I started blushing. Thankfully, the coach called us to start before I could blush my self into a tomato.

* * *

Thankfully, P.E. was over quickly, but I couldn't help thinking why Percy would say that. I mean, he says that to charm every girl right? I mentally told myself to shut up and stop thinking about him, but of course, fate loves to do the exact _opposite_ of what I want.

I was walking to my next class, which is about Ancient Greece, and I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked to my right but no one was there. When I turned back, Percy was standing in front of me with a smirk.

"Hey there, WiseGirl. What class do you have next?" He asked casually.

"Ancient Greece." His eyes widened and he smirked.

"Same here, babe." I let out an exasperated sigh, and he just smirked, walking ahead of me into the classroom. He sat with a big, burly kid in the gang, supposedly Silena's boyfriend. I think his name is Charlie Beckendorf. No wait, _Charles_ Beckendorf. I sat in the back with Silena, Leo, and Jason.

Our teacher, Mr. Brunner, called roll and then started talking about a partner project that was due in two days. I groaned, a project on the first day?! However, I was told Mr. Brunner is very nice, so he's worth the trouble. I was going to ask Silena to be my partner, when he started listing pairs.

"-Leo and Castor, Jason and Silena, Grover and Lacy, Clarisse and Katie, Will and Beckendorf, and lastly, Percy and Annabeth." I gaped at the teacher. He can't be serious. I turned to look at Percy, who was grinning like a madman. I muttered a few curses to myself and then payed attention to class, too shocked to do anything else.

* * *

After school, I just finished putting my things in my locker when Percy came up to me.

"Hey, want to come to my house now? We should work on the project. I have _things_ to do tomorrow." He commanded, narrowing his eyes at me, as if that word had two meanings. I wasn't stupid, I knew exactly what he was talking about. I let out a sigh.

"Sure; you walk home?" I asked, as I walked by his side to the front of the school.

"Yeah, I live like about 10 minutes away from here." he said. We walked in a somewhat comfortable silence until my carelessness got in the way. I didn't see the bump on the ground until I tripped, falling onto the sharp portion of a rock. I could feel a cut on my ribs and I felt like screaming, but willed myself not to. Percy, on the other hand, knelt down immediately and slowly helped me up, concern evident in his eyes. I watched as he slowly checked the cut.

"It's not too deep, but it will hurt. We need to clean it before it gets infected." he said. "Can you walk?" I rolled my eyes

"I'm cut, not helpless." But as soon as I stood up, a felt a wave of nausea come over me and I almost collapsed, but Percy held my waist. He supported me all the way to his house and then helped my lie down on the couch at his house. I flinched when I saw how much blood had seeped through my shirt, but it seemed normal to Percy. _Of course_, I thought to myself, _he's in a gang so he must have seen blood at least more than once._ I watched silently as Percy went to go get the first aid and then he sat down next to me.

"I need to clean it so, um, can you...?" He asked hesitantly, before pointing to my shirt.

"Oh." I felt my cheeks grow hot, but I hastily agreed. He carefully helped me get my shirt over my head, and then I laid back down. I was blushing because my bra was on display, but I stayed silent. His cheeks were tinted pink, but he didn't say anything. Or I thought he wouldn't.

"Who knew the first time I saw you in your bra would be when you got hurt? I was betting it would be when you fell for me." He smirked at me, and I shoved him. He laughed and then took a towel, put it in alcohol cleaning solution and slowly brought it up to my cut.

"Okay, listen, this is going to hurt, so be prepared." He gave me an apologetic smile before light pressing the cloth on my cut. I whimpered and grabbed his free hand immediately, pain overcoming me. I gripped his hand hard and waited for the pain to leave. When he finished, I sighed in relief. We were still holding hands, and our faces were nearly an inch apart. We both coughed and he pulled back, not saying a word. He left and then came back with a white blanket, which he put on me.

"I'll , um, call Thalia and tell her about how you got hurt. You can rest and then we'll work on our project, and if you want to stay the night, you can." He flashed me a quick grin before going into the kitchen to get the phone. I smiled fondly, he was a very loyal and kind person when he wasn't annoying or perverted.

I sighed, _maybe I should give him a chance_.

* * *

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**The next chapter will be them doing the project, but mostly about their family history a bit. They open up and get to the "friend" stage. **

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	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to all the people who reviewed! You guys motivated me to write this next chapter.**

**I have no excuse for updating so slowly, and I want you to know, I am really very sorry I didn't. **

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Annabeth's POV

I lied down on the couch, pulling the blanket over me in a comfortable way. I closed my eyes hoping for some rest, but Percy's conversation with Thalia got me curious about him.

"-know what I'm doing, Thalia. And, for you information, no it had nothing to do with that. I maybe a gang leader, but I'm still not terrible. _You_, out of everyone should know that." Percy yelled through the phone while I listened. Thalia said something and Percy replied quickly. "I don't give a crap about that! Listen, I will take her to school tomorrow and then you take her home. I have no intention in having her here tomorrow anyway. _He's_ going to be there." Percy added the last part softly, as something secretive.

I silently pondered this in my head. What the hell was going on? I was just about to move when Percy came into the room again, frustration written in his eyes. When he saw me, his eyes softened. He was about to open his mouth to speak when someone knocked.

Percy silently walked up to the door and opened it. His eyes were guarded, and I could see the tension in them. Outside were three guys dressed in black; the exact three I'd seen with him when I first met him. I could see relief in his eyes when he let them all in. They grinned and came in, suddenly halting when they saw me.

"Dude, you've been having girls over recently?" The first guy in grinned suggestively, and Percy glared.

"Connor, she's just a friend. Well, she kind of hates me anyway. She's here for a project."

They all sat on the bar stools on the island and turned toward me so I could see them clearly now.

The first guy was a burly African-American, who looked very strong with his large muscles. He would be really intimidating if his eyes were more piercing, but his eyes held some sort of unique kindness. He looked familiar but I couldn't remember when 've seen him.

It suddenly hit me that he was Silena's boyfriend, also in my school. He must have recognized me because he smiled quickly.

The second guy had curly brown hair, and an upturned nose. He had the eyes of a trouble maker, and I knew I shouldn't trust him with anything valuable. He looked almost exactly like the third guy, except was shorter.

"Okay, so, Annabeth, meet Beckendorf, Connor, and Travis." He smiled at me reassuringly. "They are part of the gang too, except their great friends. Except don't trust Connor and Travis with anything important." He shot them a warning glance and smirked at me. I rolled my eyes.

"As long as their out of my way, I'm fine." I smirked back, and the guys grinned.

"I like this one." Beckendorf said, not in a mean way, but in a more approving way. I raised my eyebrow as Percy rolled his eyes.

"We have important things to discuss; meet us at the garage at midnight. It's about tomorrow." Travis said.

"I suggest you get Annie out of here before school's over tomorrow." Connor added, but I could see a warning sign in his eyes. All three of them were making their way to the door. Percy nodded, and muttered something back before saying a quick good-bye and closing the door. He came and sat on the couch near my legs; sighing.

"What was that all about?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him. He glared at the ground.

"Nothing that involves you. Gang business." He avoided eye-contact and turned on the T.V. I would've tackled him, but I was in no shape to do that. Instead, I slowly snatched the remote away and kept it with me. A triumphant smirk made its way onto my face. He was shocked at my quick reflexes, but soon a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

With any warning, he put his hands on either side of me and tried to take the remote back, but was failing. I could see he was trying to avoid my injury and I respected him fore that. After some fighting, he finally got me pinned down, but it left us in a really awkward position. He was holding my hands above my head with one of his hands, his body right above mine, and the blanket that was on me was moved down so my bra was on display again. When I realized this; my cheeks became a bright red. He let out a deep chuckle and smirked when he realized why I was blushing.

He slowly moved closer to me. I panicked and tried to free myself, but I figured it was no use. The remote was now in my hands; which Percy was holding, but he had to use his other hand to get it. If he didn't, I would be able to steal it again. His head was right over mine now, his eyes putting me in a daze. Before I knew it, the remote was in his hands and he was laughing.

I groaned and pushed him off me; grabbing it back when he was laughing. He stopped shortly and glared. I put the T.V. off and sat up, adjusting the blanket to cover me.

"Har Har. I'm not laughing." I glared at him and he sat down, putting my legs on his lap.

"Why'd you turn the T.V. off?" He whined, tracing circles on my legs. I tried not to get distracted and faced him. I took a deep breath and mustered up all the courage I could find.

"I want to know why you joined the gang. I'm curious, and I want to help." I said calmly, but seriously. His happiness drained away and sorrow and pain made its way into his eyes. I was shocked to see how much emotion he showed. After a mental debate and a sigh, he met my eyes.

"Well, I can tell you the main reason I joined, because I feel you know what I'm going through...but I'm not ready to tell you everything yet. There's something I need to know first. What are we? Friends? Acquaintances? Enemies?" He asked me softly, searching my eyes. I thought about it, and realized he wasn't as bad as I had thought. He cared for me as if I was a friend and he was truly concerned for me when I fell. He wasn't even that annoying anymore. I let my guard down and looked him square in the eye.

"Friends." I replied softly, so he had to strain to hear me. His eyes lit up.

"Listen, Chase. Your special, okay? Not like any other girl I've met. I-I trust you. Your strong, brave... I like your personality. I mean, yeah, I was an ass to you at the beginning, but that was until I realized more about you. If you really want to know about the real me; then I'll tell you. But promise me you will not betray my trust. I've heard you have life hard too, and I understand. I really do. I'm not your typical gang leader. I'm a person too. A person with a fucked up past. I just want you to know _that._" He let out a dry laugh and looked at me. "I'm even spilling my life to a girl I met 6 days ago!"

I put my hand on his shoulder. I could see the more finer things about him. His shaggy raven-black hair, which managed to look so good even when he didn't brush it. His beautiful sea-green eyes, that was like the ocean; emotional. And of course that smirk, that would never come of his face but I find it cute every time. We locked eyes. Green against grey.

"I trust you too. I will tell you about my past, if you tell me about yours."

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**I'M DONE! Please review and follow or favorite!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! **

**As for all the people who were looking forward to explanations from both of them, I'm sorry but I have a sad surprise instead. **

**Kind of like what "Don'tDisTheSonic" reviewed, but its not Sally and there's more to it. I ****_will_**** be getting to the explanations soon though. :D**

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* * *

Annabeth's POV

Percy was thinking a lot, which was something new to me. He was just about to open his mouth when the doors flew open and Thalia came in. Her electric blue eyes were sparkling with anger directed straight at Percy. However, when she saw us, she stopped and her eyes showed pure shock. I brought my hands to myself and Percy scooted away so my legs weren't on his lap anymore. I mean, it was pretty awkward; I was still in my bra, with my hand on Percy, and his hands on my legs, which were on his lap.

"It's not what is looks like, I was just-" Percy started, before getting interrupted by Thalia.

"PERCY JACKSON! You promised me you wouldn't play around with her or hurt her. You promised me you would keep her safe. You _promised._" Thalia yelled, now storming over to us. Her eyes held anger and concern when she looked at my injury. She shot a terrifying glare at Percy, but what surprised me was that he didn't flinch at all. I didn't need anymore trouble than I had, so I decided to speak up._  
_

"Wait, Thalia. Let me tell you everything. This," I said, pointing to my injury,"had nothing to do with Percy. I was being careless when we were walking here and I tripped. A rock pierced me there and then it started bleeding. Percy helped me." I said, sending her a small smile. The anger in her eyes subsided a little, but she still looked quite mad.

"Fine then. But you are coming home with me. _Now._" She held my wrist and carefully helped me up. "Percy, can you get her one of your shirts and wash hers? You can give it to me tomorrow. No wait, scratch that, give it to me the day after tomorrow. If you can't I'll come and take it." Percy nodded and immediately went to go get a shirt, and came back with a regular blue T-shirt. he handed it to me and I wore it, making sure not to open my injury again.

Thalia supported me until the door, but then stopped.

She faced me. "My car is on the other end of the road, so let me bring it here so you don't have to walk. And Percy...I'm sorry, okay? But I'm still watching you." She gave us a small smile and started to her car when she turned around real quick to say something.

"Oh yeah, and try not to get too _close_ when I'm gone." She smirked and left, leaving Percy and I standing like blushing idiots. Percy shook his head and turned to me.

"Don't worry about her, but I guess I'll still tell you the story later. So, how about tomorrow? At midnight, in the park right across the street. Thalia will call you if...I can't make it. You coming?" He asked uncertainly, scratching the back of his neck anxiously.

"Sure, it's a date." I grinned at his and he smiled back. As if on cue, Thalia showed up and looked at us.

"Well then, I guess we should get going. See ya later, Percy. Thanks for everything." I said politely. She helped me to her car and then a thought came to my head.

"Crap! We didn't do our project!" I said, frantically turning around and looking at Percy. He shrugged.

"I wasn't the one who tripped over the rock." He replied matter-of-factly, and I glared at him.

"Shut it. Now what do we do?" I asked.

"Well lucky for you, you have an incredibly sexy, handsome, intelligent, and awesome partner who did some typing for you already." He flashed me a grin and continued. "I can send you the paragraphs and you can do the rest. I mean, you probably don't want me to mess things up anyway. I did my part already." He finished, smirking at me. I smiled with relief. Even though he was an idiot, he surprised me in some ways.

"Thank you so, so, so much! Who knew a Seaweed Brain like you can be so _responsible?_" I joked, grinning.

"Seaweed Brain?" Thalia asked, confusion etched on her face. Percy and I laughed as she looked between us.

"You know, since he love water, and he's not the smartest kid I've seen." I smirked, and he gave me a mischievous smile.

"Fine then, my name for you is Wise Girl. Because you..um...smart?" He said weakly, leaving me to stifle my laughter.

"Wise Girl is the best you've got?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged in response.

"For now." I just rolled my head and turned to join Thalia at the door.

"Okay, I'll finish the project. See you at school, then." I said, following Thalia to her car.

"The nickname stage, eh?" she whispered, chuckling.

"Thalia! It's just to annoy each other." I reasoned, turning to scowl at her continuous laughter.

"Don't forget about tomorrow, 'kay?" He called, and I turned my face to acknowledge him. He smiled and closed the door.

As soon as we got into the car, Thalia turned to me. She was in the driver's seat and I was in the shotgun. She started the car and began pulling out of the

"Wait, what's tomorrow? Did he ask you something?" She asked nervously. I glanced at her with curiosity.

"Um, yeah. We are going to meet tomorrow at midnight." I said. She looked relieved, but I could still see some worry in her eyes.

"Good. Whatever you do, _promise_ me you won't go anytime earlier." She asked, pleading with her eyes. I was confused now; first the phone call, then the talk with Beckendorf, Connor, and Travis, and now this.

"What exactly is happening tomorrow?" I asked quietly. Thalia sighed and shook her head.

"It's best you don't know. It's about his gang." She replied.

"Come on! I won't tell him or anyone else." I begged. "I just want to know; you can trust me." She sighed.

"Fine. The boss is coming tomorrow to see the gang progress. If Percy was leading well, he gets money the gang shares. If not; he dies." Thalia said. I stared at her in shock. I could see she was trying to stay strong, but she breaking down on the inside. I put a comforting arm around her.

"This is Percy Jackson we're talking about. He won't die." I told her bravely, and she smiled at me.

* * *

"We're home." Thalia murmured, and I got out of the car. I realized there were a lot of things I didn't know about his gang, and _him_. The truth seemed too daunting to wrap my mind around.

I walked with Thalia to her room, and threw myself on her bed. I thought about Percy and the gang in general. Most of them seemed like nice people with terrible lives.

"If you think to much, your brain is going to explode." Thalia said sarcastically, smirking at me. "Come on, quit worrying about the gang. Percy's been gang leader for two years already. He'll manage."

"But won't he-"

"Why are _you_ worried?" She smirked. "Ha, someone's got a crush." I practically fell of the bed.

"I don't like him, Bolt Head. His life is just..interesting." I said, glaring daggers at her. I wasn't lying; I mean sure he was probably the hottest guy I had ever seen, but I didn't _like_ him. I just wanted to help him because I understand how he feels. If anything; my life can win the 'Worst Life' title even if it's compared with his.

Thalia just shrugged though, not understanding my reason.

"Whatever you say." She said, making me groan as she laughed. "Anyway, we have to finish math homework before school tomorrow. What did you get for number 28?" She asked, eyeing her paper distastefully. I smirked at her.

"Find out for yourself." She rolled her eyes. We spent the rest of the night finishing up homework, watching some TV, and then went to sleep. I slept as soon as my face hit my pillow with no dreams or thoughts for a change.

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**I'm on a summer roll now. :D **

**Sorry about the interruption for all of you who wanted to know about his life. It's probably going to be in one of the next few chapters.**

**Just saying now, I'm sorry, but everything isn't revealed in the next chapter. But I promise you, it's coming up soon. **

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	7. Chapter 7

**Here is the next chapter, as I promised. I will always post the date for the next chapter at the bottom; so please check for it if your wondering. If I finish earlier, then you get it earlier. :)**

**Also, for a change, this chapter is in Percy's POV, if you want to know what happens in the afternoon, because Annabeth's obviously won't be able to know.**

**Hope you like it!**

* * *

Percy's POV

Annabeth. I could say a lot of things about her, but when I met her, one thing stood out the most; her past.

Thalia told me a little about her family issues, and I couldn't help thinking how similar, yet different we were. She made it a point to hate me, but I was asking for it. The thing I noticed about her was that she was different than other girls. Strong and independent, unlike all the girls in our school. That's was really drew me to her.

She was fairly cute; with beautiful blonde curls framing her face, perfectly tanned skin, a slightly upturned nose, and calculating grey eyes.

But besides her looks and personality, I felt another type of bond to her. Not just some stupid crush, but something... deeper. It was like we were _meant_ to meet. When I tried to explain it to Thalia, she just laughed and exclaimed I was in love with her. I had the urge to punch her right there, but of course, being the man I was, I didn't.

I was determined to find out more about her, which was why I decided to meet with her tomorrow.

I sighed loudly, and headed to bed when I remembered I had to be at our gang's garage at midnight. I silently cursed and threw on my jacket, grabbed my keys and started my driveway, where I kept my bike. I hopped onto my bike, carefully pulling out of the driveway and heading towards the garage.

Our gang was called the Half-Bloods, and a tight group of us hung out at the garage, which was a rundown cabin at the edge of a construction site. No one went there anymore so it was really private. The only people who knew about it were Connor, Travis, Beckendorf, Clarisse, Chris, Butch, Hazel, and Frank. The only exceptions were Thalia and Grover, both who knew everyone though they weren't in the gang. Another exception was Nico di Angelo, my cousin.

Thinking about him made me guilty and depressed, because sometimes I couldn't help wondering if _her_ death was my fault. He brought Hazel to our gang shortly before leaving, so now I'm like an older brother to her. I promised myself I would never let anything happen to her. Not like Bianca.

Blinking back tears, I parked my bike in a safe spot so no one could find it. Stealthily, I made my way to the cabin, where everyone was waiting for me. My face was grim but I gave them a short smile.

"So, what was this meeting for?" I started, sitting down on an old sofa. It creaked as I sat, but I didn't mind because everything in here was years old and we didn't have any money for new furniture.

"Percy, what time do we come over tomorrow?" Chris asked, his voice showing his anxiety. I could tell they all were nervous or scared about tomorrow, in fact I was too, but I had to stay collected so they wouldn't freak out. However, they were really calm in these situations and I couldn't ask for better friends.

I turned to face all of them, grimacing. "Okay, I can't ask all of you to come, but those who want to can. I don't want Hazel or Frank coming; you two stay with each other, okay?" I looked at their pained faces, but I could tell all of them understood my intentions. They were dating, and I couldn't risk them getting hurt. Beckendorf was the only other person dating, but he was one of our key gang members and we needed him on our team.

The thing was, dating wasn't allowed in our gang. If the boss found out, the girl or boy who the gang member wad dating would be killed.

"Thanks, Percy." Hazel gave me a genuine smile showing that she wasn't being sarcastic, and I smiled back.

"Who doesn't want to come? Now be _honest_." I looked around the room to see no hands up. I smiled. "Thanks guys." I whispered and they all nodded and gave me reassuring smiles.

It was an important day for me because it could be my last. I, however knew this was my responsibility so I wasn't scared. I was concerned for my gang members. I wonder how things will be with a new leader; however I knew they were capable.

"Okay, then I guess Clarisse, Beckendorf, Butch, Chris and I will come inside with the boss. Connor ad Travis can stay outside and convey messages. Frank and Hazel, stay at a friend's house, Thalia's is opened as usual, and you can work with the Stolls, okay?" I made sure my directions were clear, and that no mistakes would be made tomorrow.

"What if we mess up? What if he..shoots?" Butch asked hesitantly, and I got the silent message that was conveyed.

_What if he shoots you for slow progress as gang leader_, my mind deciphered from his question.

"Well, we have to do what's necessary. Since Butch is second in command, he will become gang leader and Clarisse will become second." I stated, trying hard to keep my voice strong.

Since all of us became good friends, I was not only the gang leader, but I also protected all of them. They were like my...family. I didn't ever want to lose them because I have no one else and I know its the same case for them. We all made a pact to stay together and I vowed to myself that I would keep it that way.

"I guess we all a ready then. Tomorrow, those of you who are needed can come at about 2:00 PM so we can get prepared for the boss's arrival." I said, watching as all of them flinched when I mentioned his name.

Tomorrow, the boss, or the guy in charge of our _entire_ gang was coming, and he would see to it that I was doing my job correctly, give me my money, and would assign me a new job if I was doing well. If I didn't do a good job...well then it would only seem right to plan my funeral next week.

I turned my attention back to my friends, and saying our goodbyes, we all started back to our houses to get some rest. We needed it tonight.

As soon as I reached home, I went to my room, ripped of my shirt and hit the bed. I was extremely exhausted after having to work on the project and do gang work. I fell asleep, dreading the next day.

* * *

I woke up to the pair of worried blue eyes.

"Who.." I muttered drowsily, squinting to see who had come. I could make out a female shape, with black hair. That combination definitely belonged to my cousin, Thalia.

"It's me, Kelp Head." She rolled her eyes, and I sat up in my bed.

"You're here because...?" I questioned, because normally I wouldn't have a frustrated cousin on my bed in the morning. She huffed exasperatedly.

"_Because_ you need to get your lazy ass of your bed. The boss will be here in about 3 and a half hours." She gave me a pointed glare and I turned to see the clock. 11:34 AM. _Shit._

"Crap, okay, I'm up. Can you make me breakfast?" I gave her pleading smile, and she shook her head.

"No. You know I can't cook, last time, the pan burnt." We grinned at the memory, and I decided to play unfair.

"But it might be the last day I eat your food.." I said, trying to bait her into cooking for me. She glared, but I could see her debating in her head.

"Fine, but if you don't die, I'm going to have to kill you myself." She joked, and I laughed.

"Sure thing. Thanks." I said, and she nodded. "I'm going to freshen up and then call the other guys. You'd better leave by 2:00." I told her, and she muttered a quick 'okay' before leaving. I quickly got out of bed, took a shower, and went to the kitchen, where Thalia was making an omelette. She seemed to be having trouble, so I laughed.

She jumped at my sudden outburst and then turned to glare at me. "It's not my fault if this gets burnt." She muttered, and I grinned.

After eating, I checked the time. 12:54 PM. I decided to watch TV until the others came, so I could keep my mind off what was going to happen later today. Meanwhile, Thalia finished everything and came up to me.

"Stay safe, Kelpy. I need to go now, so text me after everything is...over. Tell Beckendorf to tell me if anything happens." Thalia said, giving me a short smile. "I can't lose you...not after Nico and Bianca." she said, her eyes tearing up. I looked away and we both sighed.

I got up and hugged her. She looked extremely surprised, but accepted is anyway. She was like my little sister and I couldn't imagine life without her. She was there for me since the beginning.

"Bye, Thalia." I said, and she gave me an actual, _genuine_, smile back, her eyes reassuring me that everything will be okay.

* * *

It was time.

Chris, Butch, Clarisse, and finally Beckendorf walked through the doors with grim faces and rested on the couches. I walked up and took a seat too.

"It will be fine. We didn't make any mistakes; we'll can do it." I told them, and determined looks appeared on all of their faces.

"What if w-we slip up? He's a ruthless boss." Chris said, and I winced at the painful memory that was filling my head. Clarisse and I had rescued Chris from our boss, Kronos, who tortured him. He was in a state of shock for a long time until Clarisse was able to nurse him back to health. A few years ago, Luke Castellan was gang leader and he betrayed all the members of the gang by helping Kronos become boss. As boss, Kronos tortured and killed gang members for minor slip-ups, and had no mercy.

As a result, the Half-bloods became a terrible gang. People weren't allowed to leave the gang without getting killed. I saw what happened to the last guy and the painful memory never left my head since then.

I tried to change things when I became leader, but there are a few things you can't do by yourself, and many of the people in our gang are too afraid to speak against Kronos.

I looked at them, a defiant look on my face.

"I'll make sure nothing goes wrong as long as I'm there." I vowed, and they shot me grateful looks. We sat down, deep in thought, until Clarisse's phone buzzed. She grunted, picking her phone up and reading the message. Her eyes raked over the words and then widened.

"He's here."

Those two words sent chills down my spine. We all locked eyes with each other and then I stood up.

"We can do this." I said softly, trying to convince them, but more importantly, myself.

* * *

I held the door open as the boss walked in, his black coat and glasses covering his body. I've never actually seen _him_, as in him without his shades or think coat on.

But I wasn't really sure I wanted to see him.

He took a seat on the sofa, three armed gang members behind him. They each carried weapons and had murderous looks to them. I could see Butch, Beckendorf, Clarisse, and Chris through the corner of my eyes, shifting uncomfortably under the boss's gaze.

"Sit, Perseus Jackson." Kronos voice sent chills down my spine, and not the good ones. I flinched when he said my real name because I preferred 'Percy'. _Perseus _just had too many bad memories attached to it.

"I have been watching your progress for the past few months. You have done good, except your work was very..._minor._"

_Minor! _I was ready to kick him in the guts, but I knew better than to do that. These past months have been really painful as our tasks became harder. I've had to hurt people, and every time I did, I hurt myself. Not physically, but mentally.

"I have much in store for you, so I will not take any action against you now." I sighed and I could feel my friends' tension decrease.

"However," I groaned in my head; why hadn't I seen that coming?

"I've seen that you are too soft. Too much like your father." My blood turned to ice. _My father_. Kronos knew my father. I could see Kronos smirk at my anger and shock, but I wasn't going to let him get his satifacstion. I looked at him defiantly.

"Your loyalty is wavering, and I would kill you right now." My heart literally stopped. _This is it. _We all watched as his lips turned up in an evil grin.

"But... you will serve rather important for my plans. You, Perseus Jackson, have great things in store ahead of you." He looked at me, and for a second, I could see his eyes piercing through his shades. I shuddered involuntarily; and nodded in acknowledgement while he was leaving. He stopped shortly before the door.

"Word on the street is that you've found a new...friend. Be careful, or she might just be snatched away." I froze in shock as he chuckled. My heart came to a stop and I experienced a whole new level of pain. All my thoughts were centered on one person.

_Annabeth._

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**Well there you go, a Percy's POV for you. I hope you liked it!**

*****Next chapter: Tuesday, 07/02 **

**Please review/follow/favorite!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! I know I said I would update on Tuesday, but I decided I wanted to give you guys the next chapter early. As a gift for all the support you have given me on my stories.**

**I want to give a shout out to a guest reviewer, wise-waters, and I really enjoyed reading her review. Your reviews really encourage me to write and are a great form of support. :)**

**So, as I mentioned, here is the early chapter!**

**I hope you enjoy, and please read and review!**

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Annabeth's POV

When I came back from school, I decided to finish up my work and rest for a while. I stayed up pretty late trying to finish up the project Percy and I needed to finish for school tomorrow.

I anxiously tapped the headboard of my bed, lying down with my eyes open. I couldn't help it; I was extremely nervous about going to see Percy tonight. I couldn't believe he was about to tell me about why he joined the gang. I knew it was personal, but I also knew I wanted to help him.

Finally, the time rolled to around 11:45 PM, so I figured I should start to the park so I wouldn't be late. I carefully opened the garage to get Thalia's car out and not wake her in the process. I started the engine and backed out, driving carefuly.

When I reached there, I could tell no oneowns there, but my instincts told me someone was watching me. Keeping my head down, I walked through the park, finding the area with benches. Quietly, I said down, using my phone for some light.

As quick as it came, the sound of footsteps faded. I was freaking out now, and was deciding to go home when a voice sounded behind me.

"Hey, glad you could make it." I jumped a few inches, Percy's voice coming out of nowhere. I gave him a short glare and he laughed._  
_

"Nice to see you...alive." I softly mumbled the last part, but when I saw his eyes, I knew he heard me.

"You know? Who told you?" He asked,sounding slightly surprised.

"Thalia." I replied softly, making sure no one could hear. He sighed in relief.

"Okay, anyways, back to why I was here. Let me tell you more about-" Percy stopped suddenly, his eyes widening.

"Shit." He cursed silently, before grabbing my hand. The gesture surprised me, but I held on anyway. His hand was warm, fitting in mine perfectly, and I silently prayed that my hand was not sweating.

"Follow me, okay? We need to stay at Thalia's for a while." He murmured, dragging me out of the park and into the parking lot I parked Thalia's car in. He quickly jumped in and started the car, and I just realized he had taken the car keys from me.

He drove really fast; and if anyone saw us, I'm pretty sure they would write our car's name plate and send it to the police. He took some turns and then parked where the cab I had taken on the first day parked. Running out in record time, he pulled me to Thalia's house, however, the man was right behind us.

I heard a _click_ and then a bullet flew just a few inches away from Percy's face. I shrieked and we both doves to the side, behind a narrow wall. Percy looked tensed, and his hand went straight to his jacket to pull out a gun.

I gasped, _how long has he had that? _I stopped thinking about that as soon as a bullet came flying next to me.

Percy wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to the side and shielding my body. He kept me behind the wall and then went out so he could shoot well. I hated being useless, but that was was pretty much how I was for the entire fight.

I heard a shout and I figured it was the other guy, and Percy turned to me thinking he was dead. However, one more gunshot rang in the air, and I saw Percy's side covered in blood.

The other gang member wasn't dead yet. Percy groaned, but managed to shoot one more time, successfully killing him. Immediately after that, his knees buckled, and he hit the ground. I caught his head just in time, and then knelt by him with his head in my lap.

"Percy! Are you okay?" I asked, panic finding its way into my voice. When he didn't answer, I assumed he was unconscious and carefully lifted him up. His weight was against my shoulders, and my hands were around him to support him. With great difficulty, I managed to lug him all the way to Thalia's house. Once we were inside, I dragged him to my bed and gently laid him down.

His eyes were closed, and his face was pale and beaded with sweat. I shivered when I looked at his wound, but then went to go get the first aid kit. Since Thalia was still sleeping, I had a tough time finding it, but managed to get it in the end. I walked back to Percy's room, gentely sitting beside him. I pulled out white gauze, a rag, and some alcoholic cleaner.

His eyes fluttered open, but closed again. I could tell he was now awake, but in deep pain. I slowly put some of the cleaner onto the rag and brought it up to his wound. His wound was on the bottom side of his chest, so I had to lift up his shirt. However, I still couldn't reach it properly, but I figured that was the best I could do. Before I could dab the wound, a hand shot up and held my hand down.

Startled, I looked up to see Percy with a pained grimace on his face. He put my hand down gently and then I watched as he carefully pulled his pants a little lower, so I could reach the wound better.

I blushed, but continued anyway. I slowly brought my hand to his wound, the other one resting on the belt of his pants. As soon as the alcohol from the cleaner touched it, Percy winced badly and used his hands to hold the bed sheet firmly in his hand. He winced again and again until I was done, and then sighed when I finished. The bed had become wrinkled from the place he had held on really tight, and I could see his white knuckles finally turning their regular color again.

I carefully wrapped the white gauze around his wound, and he let out a soft sigh. Some color returned from his previously extremely pale face, and his muscles were relaxed. I smiled and put the covers on him, making sure he doesn't wake up or feel any pain. I got up from the bed and turned to leave when a hand pulled be back by latching itself in my back pocket.

I turned around and saw Percy smiling softly, his eyes partially closed. He looked in my eyes and I saw how his beautiful green eyes swirled in the light.

"Thanks." He murmured, so softly I had to strain my ears to hear it. "Stay...here." He croaked again, and I blushed a light red.

"Let me get my sleeping bag and sleep on the ground, I don't want to hurt you." I said to him. I looked through the cabinet for a sleeping bag, which I found in the bottom of the closet. I yanked it out roughly, opening it and setting it on the ground next to the bed.

"Wake me up if you need anything, okay?" I told him, waiting for a reply.

"Mhmm." Percy mumbled, before I could hear his regular breathing and very light snoring. I smiled and went to sleep, finally resting after an exhausting day.

* * *

I woke up to shivering and sounds. I saw Percy, who didn't have a shirt on, shivering and moving around on his bed. I immediately got out of bed and leaned at his side, trying to calm him down.

"Percy! Wake up!" I whispered, trying to get a grip on him. Finally, I held him still, and he stopped moving, but was still shivering. I knew he was probably cold, so I tried to wrap him in my blanket.

However, he was still shivering. I was out of ideas and it was 3:02 AM, which meant Thalia was still asleep. I felt his forhead, which was burning up, and then his pulse, which was okay. I figured it was a temporary cold flu, which happened since his injury weakened his body.

"Body...warmth." He muttered, through shivers. I finally understood what he meant. My face turned red, but I thought about it, and then realized he needed the help, so I decided I should, just tonight. I got onto the bed without out making noise and lifted the covers so I could sleep by him. It was a full bed, so we could both fit together without literally crushing each other.

When I got under the covers, he put his hand around my waist and pulled me toward his chest, hugging me tightly. I could feel him shivering against me and I sighed. I kept on hand on his bare chest and the other around him, while he used his leg to maneuver mine onto his.

His shivering slowly decreased, before there were occasional shivers, but mostly silent breathing from both of us. I sighed contently with my head against his chest, and fell into a sound sleep.

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**Finished! This is where Percabeth comes in, and more serious gang involvement. He tells here the truth about himself in the next chapter (I know, finally.), so it should be quite long. **

**Bad News: I don't know how long it will take me to type up my next chapter because my computer got overheated and broke down yesterday, so I had to type this entire chapter on my tablet, which is quite difficult. As soon as it gets fixed, I will write more often, but until then, it might take a while.**

****Next Update: 7/06, Saturday** **

**I will try to post early again though!**

**Thanks for reading, please review/favorite/follow!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! It's good to be back writing again. Sorry about the long wait, but I had family coming over so I couldn't find too much time.**

**100 followers! I want to thank all hundred of you, and my next goal is to get 100 reviews! **

**However, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!**

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Annabeth's POV

Sunlight poured through the windows as I woke up. I looked at the clock, which read 7:38 AM.

Shit. I usually woke up by 7:15, because school started at 8:15 AM. I tried to move but then I realized someone was with me. I looked up to see the sleeping face of none other than Percy Jackson.

I mentally groaned, trying to find a way out of the bed. I blushed when I realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Then, it all came back to me.

The park...gunshot...blood...shivering...Percy.

I slowly took everything in. Then I sighed and tried to untangle our legs, but then he started moving. I stopped and my breathing slowed for a few seconds.

Percy softly growled and tangled our legs further, his hand pulling me even closer into his chest from its position on my waist. I was freaking out; so as the last resort, I decided to just wake him up.

I put my arm on his chest and carefully pushed myself away from him. His eyes fluttered open, and he squinted at me. He looked confused at first, but then realization dawned on him.

Before he could say anything, I pulled myself out of bed and swiftly walked to the door.

"Um..g-good morning, I guess. I need to go to school, but I don't know if you're going or not so...?" I mumbled lamely, walking out of the room before he could question me.

I internally scolded myself for the stuttering. I rarely stuttered; only a few people have that type of effect on me. I cursed Percy for being one of them.

After brushing my teeth, taking a shower, and changing, I was about ready for school. I had combed my hair so the blonde curls ran down my back. Taking my backpack, I went to the kitchen to see Thalia smirking at me. She was eating breakfast, today cereal, because she couldn't go without eating before school. I tried to act as if nothing happened. When I was getting my cereal, Thalia decided to speak up.

"So, sleep well last night?" Thalia asked casually, the lightest trace of a smirk still playing on her lips.

"Yeah, like normal." I replied just as casual, hoping my eyes wouldn't give me away.

"That's good." She said. "Now, why was Percy Jackson sleeping in the same bed as you?" she asked, but it was more demanding.

"I don't know?" I said weakly, knowing it sounded like a question. She gave me a short glare.

"Spill it, Chase." She said, and I rolled my eyes but nodded.

"Okay, fine, yesterday you know how I told you he wanted to meet a-oh." I saw Percy standing awkwardly in the entrance of the hallway. He made his way to the table and looked at the cereal. He bent down to get it but winced. I cringed inside, _it must still hurt..._

Thalia looked at him curiously.

"Why did you just wince?" Thalia asked carefully, trying to search his reactions for clues. Percy debated in his head for a while, but then decided he should just tell her.

"Okay, you're not going to like this, but here's the story. Last night, Annabeth came to meet me at the park, remember? But one of the gang members were there and he followed us all the way to the sidewalk right outside this complex. He shot me on the stomach...Annabeth healed me after that." Percy explained, looking closely at Thalia to see what she would say next.

"Oh...how are you feeling then? Does it hurt? Next time to prevent this, how about you leave Annabeth out of it and keep yourself out of harm?" She said the last part angrily, and I sighed. She was like an overprotective sibling, mainly because she knew the dangers of the gang. Percy huffed but didn't say anything back to her.

"Anyway, I need to get my things and then we can leave, okay?" Thalia said, before marching up the stairs to get her things.

I could feel Percy's eyes on me, but I didn't pay attention to him and avoided eye contact. He came and sat down across from me; where Thalia was sitting.

"Hey, thanks for healing me yesterday." Percy started. "And also for staying with me and helping me stay warm." I involuntarily blushed, but looked up. He was smiling, but then it turned into a smirk.

"Were you nice and comfy last night? Maybe I should sleep with you more often cause I certainly was." He chuckled, and I glared at him.

"No, I actually wasn't." I lied. It was hard for me to get that out because I slept really well last night. I was hoping he didn't see through my lie, but I saw his smirk get even wider.

"Your mouth may say one thing, but your eyes say something else. And I trust your eyes more." Percy whispered, grinning slightly.

I just rolled my eyes and glared at him harder.

"Anyway" I said, trying to change the subject. "You still owe me answers, Jackson." I said, narrowing my eyes at him. The smile immediately dropped from his face, and a frown took its place.

"I don't know if I should becau-" Thalia stepped into the room and interrupted Percy.

"Okay! Let's go. Percy, are you coming?" Thalia said. Percy nodded and we all followed Thalia to her car.

* * *

I went to my lockers after my last period and waited for Thalia. Soon, Thalia came followed my Percy.

"Hey Annie, you ready to go?" I nodded in reply, but Percy stopped me by putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Remember we have detention?" He reminded me, and I stopped in my tracks. If not for Percy, I would've completely forgotten. Thalia frowned.

"Both of you? I thought it was only Percy. Ah well. You two can take a cab and come home or wherever, but be back by eight." Thalia said, walking towards the school parking lot.

"Well, now to detention." Percy said, and I rolled my eyes but walked with him to the room. I'd never been there, but it wasn't much different tha other classes. It was basically a huge room with chairs and desks, taught by the history teacher. The teacher would be there the first 5 minutes, but then some people say he went to his office to use the computer.

Once we went in, Percy and I sat at the back corner of the room.

"So, you can continue your explanation now." I told Percy, and he sighed.

"I don't know if I should. This is one thing I actually agree with Thalia on. You don't want to get involved, they're already onto you." He said. I narrowed my eyes.

"What do you mean, 'already on to you'?" I asked, and he looked down.

"Okay, well, first, you should know gang members are not allowed to have relationships." He sounded somewhat wistful when he said that, and he was looking at me. I blushed lightly, but then shook it off.

"What about Beckendorf and Silena?" I wondered aloud. He looked quite uneasy while answering.

"The boss doesn't know." He whispered softly, looking at the ground. I was unsettled when I heard this. Silena was in big trouble if the boss found out, and she didn't deserve punishment.

"Anyway, back to what I was saying, if I get too close to you, the boss's assistants will find out. They're actually his brothers. Yesterday, the one I killed was one of them, though I forgot his name. Hyperion? Don't ask me." Percy continued. "They are keeping a close watch on me and if they see me and you hanging out, they'll kill both of us. That's why don't know if you should get involved." Percy admitted, finally looking into my eyes.

My throat felt sore, and my brain, for once, couldn't process all this information. I took a deep breath.

"I don't care anymore. My life's screwed up already, so it can't get any worse." I laughed without any humor, and Percy looked pained but nodded.

"Okay, but don't tell anyone, and don't betray me." Percy warned.

"You can trust me, Percy." I said softly.

"Well, where do I start? You asked me why I joined the gang, right? There were many reasons, but let me start from the beginning. Okay, so Thalia, Nico, and I were cousins through our dad's family, and all of our fathers left us when we were young." Percy said bitterly. "We don't know whether they were dead or alive, but most people agree that they died already because no one can find them."

"I've resented my dad ever since." Percy admitted. "He left me and my younger brother, Tyson with my mother, who was really the greatest mom in the world. She had no family, no diploma, or no money left, but she never complained. She raised us both by herself."

"Of course, she had to meet Gabe Ugliano after that." Percy's eyes turned a dangerous shade, as he tried to control himself. "That bastard was nice the first few times, but one they got married, he showed his true colors. An asshole. That's what he was."

I sighed and placed my hand on his shoulder in a comforting way. "Calm down. If you want to stop, you can."

"No, I'm fine." Percy said, taking a deep breath. "So, Gabe, or Smelly Gabe as I used to call him, became a jerk after my mom married him. He drank and smoked almost everyday, and made my room his poker gameroom. After a while, he started abusing my mother. I couldn't stand it but my mom made me promise not to tell.

"One day, I confronted Gabe, and he threatened to kill my mom if I told anyone else, so I didn't. I never said a word. Of course, that made things worse, and then he started hitting me."

"A few years ago, Gabe got into a really big fight with my mom. H-he was drunk, and he was angry. She tried to be nice, but he didn't listen. I had opened the front door to see him strangling my mom." Percy closed his eyes and tried to keep himself from tearing up.

"I-I started to fight him, and it became a disaster. Tyson was safely at day care, but my mom was still hurt, and I couldn't take on Gabe all by myself without injuring myself. We fought and threw each other all over the place, blood on the floors. But then, he pushed my and threatened to kill my mom. I stopped and surrendered, I couldn't risk her life. But he did it anyway. He used a rolling pin on the island, that my mom was using for cooking, and slammed her head with it."

I looked at him in horror. Who would do such a thing?

"That fucking moron took her life. I got so angry, I took the knife from the kitchen and threw it staight for him. I got him right in the chest, a-and he died. It felt good, you know? I finally felt...free." Percy looked up at me and I saw the sadness and grief in his eyes. I shook my head. He was young, and still had a lot of life to go. He didn't deserve that.

"When the police came, I had left. I wasn't going to be in the same place two bloody people were. I knew the police would somehow pin the entire thing on me. I-I went and picked Tyson up and then returned home, pretending I didn't know anything. No one knew anything about Gabe, but it didn't matter anymore. I had to take care of my brother and myself."

He hung his head. "I joined the gang because I needed the money, and I wanted revenge. I thought I could do the wrong things and get away with it because he could. I thought it was unfair. But then I realized the truth, and there was no going back."

"I didn't want Tyson to go through the same thing I was, so I sent him to go live with a foster family. They took him in, and I told them some of the story, but not all of it. He was still really young so he never knew, but I still go visit him sometimes." Percy finished, now staring at the desk in front of him, his eyes distant.

We both sat in silence, but then shifted ad gave him a hug. His eyes were huge in surprise, but then a small smile appeared on his face.

"I wish I could help you. I really do." I whispered. He looked into my eyes with such emotion, I felt like running away with him and getting him away from all his problems.

"You really are different, Annabeth. I feel a connection with you," He admitted, looking into my eyes. "I feel like I can tell you anything. You've been through similar things, I can tell. Family-problems. But it's more than that."

"I know what you mean." I whispered right before the bell rang. Everyone got up to leave but we remained still, deep in thought.

"Hey, you stil owe me your bits of information." Percy said, smiling softly. I grimaced, but nodded.

He just spilled his tragic story to me, I should tell him mine too.

"Okay, you want to come over?" I asked, he nodded but then stopped.

"Oh crap!" He muttered, silently letting out many other profanities. "Okay, I need to go to a gang meeting, the boss said at like 5:00. What time is it?" Percy asked, reaching for his phone frantically.

I looked over his shoulder to see it said 4:40 PM. I watched him curse and run to catch a cab.

"Can he drop me and then drop you at Thalia's?" Percy asked, obviously in a hurry. I nodded, got in after him.

"Do you think I can come over later today, so you can tell me?" Percy asked once we were inside.

"Sure." I said, and stayed in the comfortable silence until I reached home.

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**There! I tried to make it longer because it took me longer to update. My stupid computer is still broken, and I can't fix it myself so until then updating might be slow.**

****Next Update: 7/11, Thursday.****

**Thanks for reading! Please review/favorite/follow!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! I'm back as I promised! I want to thank everyone who reviewed! I would really appriciate it if you could review and tell me what you think of the chapters I post. **

**Anyway, moving on, I hope you like this chapter!**

**Please read and review!**

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Percy's POV

I felt nervous. I don't know whether it was because of the meeting or how I spilled my life story to Annabeth. I knew there was something going on between us, but I didn't know what. She was different; I usually didn't see girls like her.

But I knew I couldn't get any closer to her or else both of us would be in danger. Sighing, I walked through the entrance of a tall building. Believe it or not, Kronos had a building for himself, though it was because he threatened the seller or something; I wasn't sure.

I walked up to his office and saw Beckendorf, Clarrise, and Butch already sitting there. They were my three main supporters as far as the boss knew so they came to basically all the boss meetings. I bowed shortly and sat down. The boss gave me an unreadable look.

"Perseus Jackson, glad you could make it." He started, making me flinch as he said my real name. I didn't like it because it made me sound older, but mainly because my father chose it. I didn't want anything to do with him ever since he left us.

"Now, I have already talked to these three," He said, motioning to Beckendorf, Clarrise, and Butch. "So you three can leave. I will have a private conference with Jackson." The boss said, turning to me with a half-evil look.

"Now, now. What do we have here? I heard you killed my fellow guard. Such a shame." He said, shaking his head. I knew I was a goner. "However, I still need you for my plans so I will let you live. Just this one chance, but if you do anything else, the girl will be dispsosed of." He laughed coldly, and I winced but I was still surprised he let me go.

"Now to discuss the main reason I called you. I knew your father, Poseidon. He was quite the fellow, actually. I was like a father to him and his siblings, until a fortune teller said my children will kill me. It wasn't just any fortune teller though; it was Delphi, who was known for the amount of fortunes that came true. I tried to kill each and everyone of them, but my wife told them to hide from me. I killed her of course, but never got to her children." I stared with my jaw open. How come I never knew all this?

"Is your father dead?" The boss asked me, and I stopped to think about it.

"As far as I know, yes, sir." I said. People have searched for them, but no one has found them yet. They probably died somewhere for all I care.

"Ha! That is where you're wrong. Your father and the others in his family are alive and they don't deserve to be. So I will give you one simple task." Kronos said. I was really shocked, but I urged myself to stay cool.

"I want you to kill them all; but first and most importantly, your father." Kronos stated.

I froze where I stood. I did resent my father, but killing him? I couldn't do that. My mom...loved him.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's either him or you. No wait. Your life _and_ the girl's life is at stake here. Your choice." I stood there silently, unable to think. This was all too sudden for me to handle.

"I-I will try, sir." I said, my voice shaking.

"Good. Take these," He handed me a few pictures, the top one I recognized being my father. "You are excused then." He said, and I slowly backed out of the room, my heart beating faster than it was supposed to.

I ran to catch a cab; thoughts clouding my head. I couldn't think straight with my massive headache. Once I got into the cab, I put my head into my hands, extremely frustrated. Putting my head back, I tried to relax for sometime and clear my mind, which was annoyingly hard.

Finally, we reached there, so I paid the taxi driver and ran towards Thalia's house, clutching the pictures tightly in my hand. I banged on the door and Annabeth opened it.

As soon as she saw my face, she looked mildly worried.

"Did you get hurt? Percy, what happened?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. I was going to say 'nothing concerning you', but then I figured that her life is at stake, and I knew it was only right that she knows. I sat on the couch, patting the seat next to me. She understood what I meant and sat down next to me.

"Okay, listen, this might be a little unsettling, and I'm really sorry." I started, looking into her deep grey eyes. She nodded, her eyes urging me to continue. I looked down

"I have to kill someone," I said. "Someone important, or else, they'll kill me and y-you." I didn't want to meet her eyes, but curiousity got the best of me. I looked up to see the gears working in her head and her eyes shone with determination and fear at the same time.

"Okay." She said softly, looking vulnerable for once. She looked up at me. "Who is this…'someone'?" She asked, and I let out a dejected sigh.

"My father." I whispered. I heard a faint gasp and her hand slipped into mine in a comforting gesture. She squeezed it in reassurance and I couldn't help noticing how our hands fit perfectly together, her small delicate one in my larger calloused one. We stayed like that for a few minutes; in a comfortable silence.

"That's not all though." I said, my voice shaking more with each word. "There are more...he wants _all_ of them dead. It's that terrible." I said, and she sighed. Her eyes flickered to the pictures Kronos had given me and the reached out to look at them. Her eyes widened when she saw my father.

"My gods, Percy. You look just like him." She said in amazement, and I looked the other way.

"Well, that's too bad. I don't consider him my father." I said harshly, and she sighed.

She flipped to the next picture, showing a tough looking man, his eyes a dangerous in a don't-mess-with-me kind of way.

"He looks strong." She said weakly, and I knew that was a real disadvantage to us. She flipped to the next one and her eyes widened tremendously. She let out a horrified gasp and I could see tears coming to her eyes.

"Annabeth? Annabeth! Are you okay?" I said, worry etched on my face. She looked at me wearing a sad look on her face.

"T-that's my m-mother." She whispered, so soft I almsost missed it. I snatched the paper and looked to see a woman just like Annabeth. She had beautiful blonde curls framing her face and the same intellegent grey eyes. I looked up to see tears rolling down Annabeth's face.

"We can't kill her, Percy. Just take me in, and let them kill me. You escape." She said, her voice unstable. I growled, making her jump in surprise.

"Listen, Annabeth. There is _no_ way in hell I'm going to let you get hurt. You mean too much to me." I said, anger lacing my words. She gave me a small smile, helping me calm down again.

"Thanks, Percy." She said, and I moved closer to her to give her a hug. She had her head on my chest and her arms around my neck and I locked my arms all the way around her waist. It felt perfect.

I looked down at her, guilt clear in my eyes. "I'm so, so sorry Annabeth. It's my fault you were included in this." I murmured. She shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault; I was the one who pestered you to know. At least now I know my mother is still alive." She mumbled. Sighing, I held her closely. I needed something to clear my thoughts.

"Let's stop thinking about that now." I said. My usual smirk made it's way onto my face."How about going to the bar now? The one I was talking about last week?" I asked, watching the corners of her mouth twitch up.

"Why not? Um, let me text Thalia; she went to go see a some friends. Katie and Silena, I think. They were going to the ice cream parlour and I said I'd meet them there, but I'm honestly out of it. I need to clear my mind." She said, now looking at her phone. I nodded and put my jacket on. She sent the text and then followed me outside to my car.

"Where's Jason?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"Thalia said he's usually locked up in his room, or more likely, at Leo's house. He usually just sleeps over there." She answered. I nodded in understanding.

"Okay then, let's go."

* * *

**Okay, I know that was short, but the next chapter is where Percabeth started to happen. Or they realize it, you know what I mean?**

**If you remember, Percy asked Annabeth to the bar long time ago, so now is when they are going. **

**Anyway, sorry for the short chapter, I'm making the next one longer and in Percy's POV again, but then it's Annabeth's.**

*****Next Update: 7/16, Tuesday. Possibly earlier though.*****

**Thanks for reading, please REVIEW/FAVORITE/FOLLOW! I hoping to get 100 reviews in a few chapters, so the hundreth will get a shout-out! Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, my awesome readers! Well, here's the next chapter. I did it early to show you I really appriciate the support you've given me. Actually, I'm still trying on the 100 review thing...but I don't mind. I'm writing this mainly to get my thoughts into a story.**

**Anyway, like I said, writing is getting harder for me everyday. First, my computed stops working, and now, I have a huge cut on my thumb. (: **

**But I will still deliver my chapters on time because I want make this a good story. So, here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Annabeth's POV

As soon as Percy and I walked into the bar, the smell of alcohol clouded my nose. I wrinkled my nose is disgust and saw Percy roll his eyes at me.

"Let's go sit there." Percy said, grabbing my hand and leading me through the drunk people who were either fighting, kissing, or on the ground after too much alcohol. Percy and I sat on our stool, and Percy asked the bartender to give us both some whiskey. We both sipped it quietly before I decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, do you come here often?" I asked him casually, feeling the alcohol I was consuming burn my throat but free my mind.

"Well, whenever I need to think, I would come here." He said. I saw he had already finished the entire glass, asking the bartender for more.

"Oh." I said flatly, thinking of how stupid I sounded.

"Yeah." He said, smiling. I could already see the alcohol working on him. I set down my cup and decided I would stay at least partially sober today. I had only gotten drunk once before, and Thalia said I had kissed two guys when I was high. He drank one more cup and let out a huge sigh, grinning at me.

"So...you wanna dance?" He asked, slightly slurring his words. I let out an exasperated sigh and glared at him.

"You're drunk aren't you?" I muttered, now extremely pissed. He didn't say anything so I assumed I was right. Grumbling, I shook my head. Normally, I wouldn't mind dancing with him, but not when he was like this. He looked disappointed, which made me feel slightly guilty. I thought he had a whole line of girls begging to be his girlfriend...

Shaking my head, I watched as he winked at a tall brunette, who gave him a flirtatious smile back. She walked towards him until she was standing right next to him.

"Can I help you?" She asked suggestively, making Percy smirk.

"Do you want to dance?" He slurred, drinking the last bit of his drink. She smirked at me, which left me utterly confused, and then took his hand and led him to the dance floor. I watched as he wrapped his arms around her waist and they both were pressed against each other tightly. Her hands were all over him, which irritated me to no end.

I felt a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach when I watched them. Suddenly, it struck me. _Jealousy._ I wan't jealous...was I?

I mean, of course we started to get along better the past week, but I couldn't have feelings for him...I groaned in frustration. I knew I had some feelings for him, I just didn't know what.

As I watched them dance, I realized I couldn't stop the butterflies everytime I saw him look at me and the jealousy everytime he talked to some other girl.

It hit me harder than I expected.

I liked Percy Jackson.

I knew it was the truth, because that was the only thing that could explain my feelings. I just sat there, staring at them, when I saw Percy glance my way. We locked eyes and he searched my eyes, but I looked away. When I looked back, I saw the girl kissing him, and anger rushed through me.

I don't know why, but I stormed up to them and cleared my throat in front of them.

"I'm sorry, I think it's my turn to dance with him now." I said, a sorry excuse but good enough. She smirked.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I was already with him. You were interrupting our momnet." She said in her bratty tone. _Our moment my ass._

"He's my friend and you barely know him." I said, glaring at her. She tried to glare back at me, but it was so terrible I had to stifle my laughter. I could see Percy doing the same.

"Shut up, you bitch. Everyone knows he wants me." She sneered, and I was seconds away from slapping this ditz. However, Percy beat me to it.

"Hey, don't call her that. I don't she's the one who goes kissing everyone." Percy snarled, and she jumped back at his sudden anger. Percy let go of her and took my hand.

"Let's go home." He said, his words still slightly slurred, but strong enough. I smirked at the brunette and let Percy drag me out of the bar. I took the keys from him to drive since I was 99% sober.

Once we reached home, I saw Percy on the couch watching a movie.

"Hey, you wanna watch too?" He asked, grinning for no reason. I figured the alcohol messed up his brain even further.

"Sure." I said, sitting by him. He then took my waist and pulled me down, so we were both lying down, me in front of him. I was glad I was in front so he couldn't see me blushing.

"Oh, by the way, I love watching you when you're jealous." He said, and I could literally feel his smirk. I felt him place his hands on the bare skin that showed between my skinny jeans and loose tank top.

A pleasant shiver overcame me when he started rubbing small circles on the skin. I let out a sigh of content, and blushed immediately after.

"You like that?" He whispered, sending chills down my spine. _Annabeth,_ I told myself. _He is drunk, this isn't real._ However, my thoughts left me once his lips touched my neck. I stayed rigidly still in shock, but as he continued, I leaned back into him, my breathing eneven due to the pleasure. I knew I shouldn't be doing this because he was only kissing me becuase he was drunk. I wanted to kiss him when he _wasn't_ drunk, not now. I slowly turned and pushed him back.

"I'm sorry, but not now." I said softly, getting out from his grip. He looked really disappointed now, but let me go anyway. I went to my room and lied down, now noticing how exhausted I was. I didn't know what happened after that, but I knew I was soundly asleep.

* * *

I woke up at 7:00 AM, and couldn't sleep. I didn't have a strong headache, but I felt light-headed. I got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom to wash my face. Then I went to the kitchen to get something to eat, but I saw Percy was already awake, searching for something, his eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. I couldn't help admiring how cute he looked right then.

I slowly made my way to island where I sat down on one of the bar stools. Percy turned around and gave me a smile, but it turned out to be a grimace.

"You okay?" I asked, looking at him with concern. He sighed.

"I've got a really bad headache. What happened yesterday? I can't remember at all." He said. "I'm looking for the asprin, but I don't think Thalia has any left." I laughed, and went to a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. Inside were painkillers and other medicines and I took the asprin and showed it to Percy.

"You rest; I'll get the water and the asprin for you." I said. He nodded gratefully, and lied down on the couch. I brought a glass of water and the two tablets, sitting on the couch next to him. His head was on the handrest, his eyes closed. I gently tapped him, and he looked up.

"Oh, sorry." He said, sitting up just a bit to eat the medicine. When he finished I put the cup on the table and sat down next to him again.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I'm fine other than the killer headache." He said, letting out a weak laugh. "What happened yesterday? I only remember what happened after Thalia came home." He said, pinching his nose. I blushed slightly, but thankfully, he missed it.

"Nothing really. I mean you drank and then danced with some girl, and we came home and slept. Not together of course." I added the last part in a hurry, blushing.

"Is that all?" He asked carefully. I shook my head, but I didn't meet his eyes.

"Annabeth...did I, you know, do anything to you?" He asked softly, his hand turning my face towards him.

"Of course not. Why would you say that?" I said quickly, attempting to act as casual as possible. He flushed and turned away, clearing his throat loudly.

"Sorry, nevermind." He said, sllightly shaking his head. "So, um, what do we do about our parents?" He asked uneasily, making me unintentionally wince.

"I don't know. Let's talk to them, or actually, let's _find_ them first. Then we'll see about..." I stopped there, my voice cracking at the end. Percy, however, understood and nodded, a new found determination in his sea-green eyes.

"Okay, wake Thalia up. We have a lot to do."

* * *

**Well, there you go! I hope you like it!**

**Now, I have summer math coursework, so life is still really busy for me. So, as a result, my time to write is decreasing, but I promise to deliver everything on time even now.**

****Next Update: 7/19, Friday.****

**Thanks for reading! Please review/favorite/follow! I'm trying for 100 reviews! :) Thanks for the support.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys. I don't know what to say. I'm ****_literally_**** speechless. **

**100 reviews! I can't thank you guys enough for all the support! You people are really awesome! Now, I know usually I'd do a shout-out for the 100th person, but honestly, if it weren't for the other 99 reviews, I would have never got there, so I want to thank ****_all_**** of you! **

**Now, as my personal gift to you awesome people, I am going to try and update sooner after this one! **

**About the story; Annabeth's POV is probably next and Percabeth in this chapter and the rest! Finally, right?**

**Now, to the story! :D**

* * *

Annabeth's POV

Percy wasn't joking when he said we had a lot of work to do. So far, we had no leads or clues as to where our parents could be. I _hated_ not knowing things.

"So it's either both of you, or your parents?" Thalia confirmed, her eyes darkening. Percy sighed, but nodded.

"Exactly. Well, your dad too." He said. Thalia looked away, her face set in a scowl.

"Well, that should be easy. Kill them. They've abandoned us forever so we should't even consider them family. I can't lose you guys." Thalia said confidently, but her eyes said something else. I had known her for a longer time than anyone else, and I _knew_ she didn't mean what she just said. Apparently, Percy did too.

"Thalia, I know you don't mean that." He started softly. "You're sad they left and you want to find them." He said. She glared at him, but he didn't flinch.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Thalia snapped. "Anyway, even if you aren't going to kill them, we need to find them. I'll go see if there's anything on the internet about them. I mean, they were really rich so I'm sure something will be there." She said, storming out of the room.

Percy sighed and faced me.

"Well, she's got the internet covered. Now we need to get something else." He said. I thought about it. Since we're talking about Percy's father, he may have left something for Percy. I thought hard about it, when a chuckle brought me back to reality.

"What?" I asked Percy, but he just shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Percy! Tell me, I hate not knowing things." I said, pouting. He looked at me for a second before opening his mouth to reply.

"You look really cute when you're thinking. Your lips were in a small pout and your eyebrows were scrunched." He said softly, making me blush a dark red.

"Oh..thanks, I guess." I said weakly. There was an awkward silence before I spoke up.

"For finding our parents, I was thinking, maybe your father left something for you. Something we could use as a clue." I said. "We could also ask Thalia if her dad left anything." Percy thought about it before shrugging.

"We should check; I mean we have no other leads. My mom used to keep the special things in her room. So, let me drive you there." He said, taking the keys from Thalia's stand.

"Thals! We are going to Percy's house, okay?" I yelled towards the hallway.

"Okay, see you later then." I heard her yell back and I followed Percy to the car. Once we got there, Percy unlocked the door and led me inside.

"Welcome to my fine home, WiseGirl." He said, smirking. I rolled my eyes at the nickname.

"It's actually quite neat, Seaweed Brain. I wasn't expecting that." I said, smirking back. He chuckled lightly.

"Wait until you see my room." He said, grinning. I shook my head and smiled. He led me to his mother's room and slowly pulled out boxes from under the bed. There were about four boxes, each filled with old items.

"Family treasures." Percy explained. I nodded and we opened the first box. There were many pictures and cards, but one caught my eyes more than the rest.

"Is that your mom...and blue cookies?" I asked curiously. The corners of his lips lifted and a sad smile made its way onto his face.

"Yeah...it was a tradition. Gabe said there was no such thing as blue food, so my mom went out of her way to make blue food." Percy said, and I laughed.

"Were they good?" I asked him. He smirked.

"The best." He said wistfully. We sat in silence against the wall, the boxes next to us.

"So, when are you going to tell me about your family?" He asked carefully. "If you don't want to, I mean, it's fine, but I was-"

"No, you're right. You told me yours and its only right I tell you mine." I said. He smiled and looked at me, waiting for me to start.

"Okay, so, my real mother didn't want a child so she left me with my father, a history professor, a few days after I was born. I never saw my mother again and my father was heartbroken. After she left, he yelled at me more frequently and was really grouchy all the time."

"Finally, my father fell in love with another lady, who loved him and hated me. I guess I reminded her that my dad had another wife and child, and she didn't like that. So, of course, she wasn't very nice to me, and soon, they had two twin boys of their own. I was the mistake, the outsider in the family_._"

"Soon, my father and mother started caring for my two brothers and totally forgot about me. Everytime I did something wrong, my parents would get angry and say that's why they didn't want me. Thalia was the main _family_ I had, so I would stay with her and they wouldn't even notice. Then, my father got a better job and we had to move all the way to California. I lost everyone who actually _cared _about me and I couldn't take it anymore."

"I ran away from my house after that, and here I am. I vowed I would never go back there again, and I resent my mother for leaving me becuase if she hadn't, I would actually have a family." I ended. Percy looked at me and wiped a tear of my cheek.

"Well, they're idiots for ignoring someone as great as you." He whispered, before crashing his lips onto mine. For a second, I sat there in shock, but soon, my eyes close involuntarily and I kissed back.

His lips were soft against mine, and his hands were cupping my cheeks gently. When he pulled back, I stared into his eyes, but saw something. _Pity?_

Anger surged through me and I pushed him back. He looked hurt and confused, but I didn't care for once.

"I wasn't asking you for pity. I thought you'd understand. I'm not your charity case." I hissed, running out. I felt hot tears making their way out of my eyes, but I ran all the way to a small park and sat down near a lonely pine tree.

It was the same tree Thalia and I used to come to all the time. I liked it because it was far away from all the other pines, lonely and small, and I could relate to that. I sat against the bark hugging my knees to my chest. I was crying now, and I hated letting my guard down. I was so lost in thought, I didn't hear footsteps coming toward me.

I looked up to see two sea-green eyes filled with concern. He came and helped me into a standing position, and I instantly crossed my arms and hastily wiped away my tears.

"What?" I said hoarsely, looking down. Percy's finger lifted my head up and he stared into my eyes with his piercing gaze.

"Listen, I was not pitying you. I told you what happened to me; and I think I would know better than to offer you pity. I was feeling sad because a girl as perfect as you _deserves_ love and a nice family." He said softly, and I let a small smile make its way onto my face.

"And again, I didn't kiss you because I pitied you. I kissed you becuase I realized I wanted to be the one to be with you from now on. I want to be the person that loves you and cares for you, because I want to see you happy. As cliché as it sounds, I'm falling for you, Annabeth." He whispered, letting his guard down for once, letting me see all the emotions in his beautiful eyes.

Without letting me reply, he pressed his lips against mine fiercely, but passionately. I kissed back with all I had and threw my arms arounds his neck. He put his hands on my waist, pushing me against the tree slowly. I knotted my hands into his thick black locks, thinking of how good his lips felt on mine.

I pulled back hesitantly, and reality dawned on me. I brought my hands back to my sides and looked down. Percy was smiling, but then stopped when he saw me.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"This," I said, gesturing between us, "can't happen. Y-you are a gang leader and I'm a plain old girl. You're not even supposed to be seen with me. What if something happens to you?" I asked, tears leaking from my eyes. Percy grimaced, but looked at me through his determined eyes.

"I won't let anything happen to you, or us. We can be happy together, Annabeth. We'll be each others' family." He pleaded.

"I-I'm sorry, I just, it's too-" I took a deep breath. "I can't. I'm sorry" I whispered, knowing I was making a huge mistake. I turned to walk away when he grabbed my wrist.

"Dammit, Annabeth. Why are you making it so difficult?" He said, his voice rising. "Why can't you just admit you want to be with me too?" He asked, his voice pained. I turned around to face him.

"Because I can't lose someone important again. I'm scared of falling, Percy." I whispered, letting the tears run along my cheeks again.

I ran away from him for the second time, this time secretly hoping he would follow me.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! I hoped you liked it, tell me what you think. As for suggestions, I really appreciate all your suggestions and comments.**

**Now, I want to personally thank everyone who reviewed, so sometime probably after I get my computer back, I will give a shout-out to all of you!**

****Next Update: 7/22, Monday.** As a gift for 100 reviews, I'm going to update my other story by then too!**

**Please keep reviewing, favorite-ing, and following! I love you guys!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Well, I'm back! Thanks for the kind reviews, I really do appreciate it. I mean, if you guys have the time to just tell me what you think about my story, it would be great if you would just write a little something on your review.**

**Sorry about replying later in the day, but next time, I want you guys to know I will try my best to post the chapters before 5:00 PM.**

**Moving on, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!**

* * *

Annabeth's POV

Unfortunately, Percy and I have avoided each other since the incident. Well, I was avoiding him. He always wanted to talk to me, except I never give him a chance. Sometimes, I would feel guilty, but then I told myself a relationship will just make things harder.

Percy had silently brought all his mother's boxes to Thalia's house and we were all looking through them. Percy and I kept quiet other than the occasional glance at each other, but Thalia couldn't stop laughing.

"Look at this picture! Damn, Percy, I didn't know someone could have this many pictures of themselves in the bathtub!" She laughed, clutching her side. Percy rolled his eyes but let a small smile on his face.

"I was one and a half, Thalia! And, of course, mom liked to take pictures of _everything_!" He retorted, groaning as she laughed even harder at the next picture. I shook my head at her, a small smile playing on my lips, and dug my hand through the box to find something else. I felt a thin piece of paper, like an envelope, at the bottom of the box.

Instantly, I pulled it out and scanned the letter. The address of the receiver and the sender were on it. I smirked.

Bingo.

I quickly opened the letter to see what it was about. My eyes scanned the letter as my smirk grew bigger.

"Guys, listen up!" I said, making Percy's head snap in my direction and Thalia stop her laughing fit to look at me. I grinned at them despite by depressed mood.

"I found it! Your dad," I said, motioning to Percy, "sent your mom a letter as to why he left." I said, thinking they would catch on after that. However, they had blank faces and were trying to figure out how that was a possible solution to our problem. I groaned at their natural stupidity.

"Your dad sent the letter from _where he was_, which means that was where he went to hide." I said slowly, making it like I was talking to 6-year-olds. Their faces broke out in a grin and Thalia clapped dramatically, making me roll my eyes.

"Way to go, Annie!" She said, as I glared at her. Percy was grinning too, but soon it changed to a smirk.

"Always living up to your name, WiseGirl." He said smirking, and I rolled my eyes and blushed. Soon the awkward tension between us returned and I let out a cough before pointing towards the top of the letter.

"The address is definitely somewhere in Greece; I need to see where the city is though." I said. Thalia snatched the envelope out of my hand and looked at the city name.

"Mykonos. I've heard that name." She said, frowning. "Ah, nevermind. I'll check it up and see how much three plane tickets cost." She said, her smile returning as she went to go check her computer.

Percy and I sat in awkward silence, which Percy thankfully broke. He cleared his throat and started talking.

"So, um, what does the letter say?" He asked, his eyes angry, sad, and pained at the same time. I understood his situation; his father, who had left before he was born, sent a letter to Sally to explain himself.

"Let me read it out loud, okay?" I said, and he nodded in reply. I started;

_Dear Sally,_

_Firstly, I would like to start of by saying I am truly very sorry for leaving you. The three days I spent with you were the best three days in my life, and I competely regret leaving. However, I do have an explanation, even if it doesn't justify enough._

_As to why I left, the main reason is my terrible family issues. Our trainer, who was like a father to us, turned against us and tried to kill us. Since then, we moved to a secret location to stay safe. I really hope you believe me, but if you don't, you have all the right to do so._

_As for our son, I want him to know that I am deeply sorry for leaving. He deserves a father just like you deserve a nice husband, which I know I am not. I hope you will forgive me someday, and I want you to know I will always love you and our son._

_Love, Poseidon_

I couldn't help smiling but when I looked at Percy, I stopped.

His jaw was tense and his hands were clenched. Anger swirled in his dark green eyes and he was glaring out the window. I could see a single tear on his cheek which he hastily wiped away.

"Percy..." I whispered, getting up to sit down next to him. I took his hand in mine and squeezed it, a sign to make him understand I was there for him. I jumped when he started talking.

"This entire letter is a _piece of shit_! He never really _cared_ and this is just something saying, _I just want to you forgive me for leaving, not that it really matters!_The least he could do was be a man and _talk_ to my mom before leaving! It's _his_ fucking fault we ended up like this and '_sorry_' won't cut it!" Percy snarled, glaring at the floor now.

I put my other hand on his back and stroked it softly, trying to get him to calm down.

"Percy, I think he truly meant he was sorry." I said softly. "He loves you."

Percy turned on me, his eyes furious.

"Oh, so you're on his fucking side? Don't you understand that the _entire_ letter was _bullshit?!_ You don't know what I went through as a _person_ while he was hooking up with other ladies in Greece." He shouted, taking his hand out of my hand.

Anger replaced my sympathy.

"You think you have the right to yell like this?! Well let me tell you something, be glad you _got _a letter! Because my mother didn't send one! Nor did Thalia's father! Isn't it enough to know that he _cares _enough to write a letter, jeopardizing his location? Right now, you're being a _selfish bastard, _okay? Be happy he _awknowledges _you! If _anyone_ in my family did that, I would be happy. But no one did!" I screamed, as the angry tears I've been trying to block our for years spread down my cheeks.

The anger in Percy's eyes quickly changed to guilt and he took my hand.

"I'm really sorry. About everything." He murmured. I tried to stop crying but somehow, I couldn't. He put one arm around my waist and the other was cupping my face, his thumb brushing the tears away.

"Don't cry...please. I'm sorry." He whispered genuinely, and I gave him a small smile. He took a deep breath before talking again.

"Listen, Annabeth. I can't_ pretend _everything between us is right, because it's not. I-I really like you and I understand you're scared, believe me, I am too. But I will be there for you, through thick and thin. I know you're scared of falling, but I won't let that happen. And if I do, I'll _always _be there to catch you." He said, and I felt like sobbing. _Maybe I should give him a chance_, I thought.

"So?" He asked, his eyes full of hope. I knew I couldn't stay without him if I said no, and I would never forgive myself. I felt the same about him. I turned to look at Percy, wiping the tears off my face.

I grinned a little before smashing my lips against his, a low grunt coming from him because of my burst of energy. I tried to convey all my emotions into one passionate kiss, hoping he'd get the message. He smiled against my lips as his hands gripped my waist tightly, pulling me closer. Our lips moved in sync, such a blissful feeling. I let my hands wrap themselves around his neck, soon tugging at his messy hair.

We pulled apart for a few seconds, our foreheads connected, his hot breath on my lips.

"I will never, _ever_, leave you, so I guess you're stuck with me." He said, a small smirk on his lips and he leaned forward to press his lips against mine one more time.

"I could say the same." I said, my eyes twinkling. He chuckled and buried his face in my neck, laying a soft, light kiss on my neck. I smiled as he faced me against.

I was just about to kiss him again when Thalia burst in, instantly looking at us with an open mouth. Soon, it changed to a smirk.

"Well, well. What do we have here? You two lovebirds finally got together, eh?" She smirked, walking up to us with a paper in her hand.

"I was going to show you the map, but I can see you're a little busy here. So maybe later." She said, grinning and walking out.

I scowled at her retreating figure.

"We were not busy, I mean-" I was cut off when a pair of warm lips covered mine, blocking my ability to form coherent thoughts.

_Maybe we were busy,_ I though happily.

* * *

**THEY'RE TOGETHER! Next chapter will have more of the mission in it, since this one was mainly on Percabeth.**

****Next Update: 7/26, Friday, and I will try to post before 4:00 PM. Possibly earlier though.** **

**Sorry about my other story, I will post _tomorrow_. **

**Please review/favorite/follow! Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! Sorry, I had a really bad writer's block so this chapter is probably not one of my best, but I tried. Honestly. :)**

**Anyway, I have a really important message to send out after this, so please watch out for the next update tomorrow. And jsut for you to know, it is not a chapter.**

**Other than that, heres the next chapter.**

* * *

Percy's POV

Thalia, Annabeth, and I loaded the last of our suitcases into the trunk of Thalia's car, making sure we had everything, especially the letter. I was lucky to have someone like Annabeth here to help me.

I watched Annabeth review all the things we needed for our trip to Greece. Her stormy grey eyes were calculating and I could literally see the gears turning in her head. Her blonde curls were flying around because of the wind outside, but she didn't mind. She was biting her lips and absent-mindedly tapping her foot.

I smiled at the sight of her beauty. Yes, I know, I'm getting cheesy. But she was worth it.

She caught me staring and I watched as her cheeks heated up and she looked away. I smirked and strode up to her, giving her a small peck on her lips. She smiled at me and let me hold her waist as I played with her curls.

No girls I had 'dated' had such naturally pretty features. Especially the hair.

Soon, Thalia came out and locked the door, sighing.

"We won't be back for a while." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Hey, don't worry. We will be back before you know it and you two will be safe again." I reassured them, although it felt more like I was convincing myself.

Thalia drove us to the airport because I, and I quote, "can't drive it because it's _her_ car." Once we were there, we quickly passed security and boarded the plane.

I held Annabeth's hand, partially as a reassuring gesture, and partially because I could see other guys staring at her with hungry eyes. Anger rushed though me as I glared at all of them. She squeezed my hand, making me momentarily forget them and focus on our job.

Once we got into the plane, fear took over my jealousy. Annabeth came me a curious look, her eyes trying to read mine. I hastily looked away, but could feel her piercing gaze behind me. We all took our seats; Thalia at the window, Annabeth in the middle, and me at the aisle.

I could feel the sweat on my eyebrows and my hands were getting all clammy.

"Percy, are you feeling okay?" Annabeth asked, concern clouding her eyes as she looked at me. I put on a brave smile, but soon realized it came out as a grimace.

"I guess." I mumbled back. Thalia was sleeping already because she was scared of height, and to help her, she usually slept the entire way in every flight.

"You're scared of heights aren't you?" Annabeth asked, her eyes wide. "Thalia is too. It probably runs in the family."

"No, I just don't like planes. My grandparents died in them and...I just don't feel safe." I tried to explain, but couldn't exactly put it into words. She nodded, processing the information, and then lifting the arm rest.

She put her head on my chest and cuddled against me.

"If you need anything, ask me." She said softly, smiling and laying a kiss on my shoulder. I gave her a genuine smile and gently pulled her closer to me by her waist. I don't know what I would have done without her.

I don't know how, but I fell asleep, but I woke up to the pilot's voice, which was anouncing our landing. Groaning, I looked down to see a mess of blonde curls on my chest. Smiling to myself, I kissed her forehead and gently tapped her shoulder. Placing soft kisses on her neck, I tried to wake her up.

With a small moan, her eyes fluttered open and a cute smile appeared on her face.

"Morning, Percy." She mumbled, and I couldn't resist chuckling at her morning accent. It was strangely adorable.

I never though I would think that, but she's got me wrapped around her finger, not that I mind.

Once the plane landed, Annabeth prodded Thalia awake and we all left the plane, walking into the bright streets of Mykonos, Greece. It was breathtaking.

"Percy..." Annabeth said in pure fascination. "Look at that architecture.." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but Thalia apparently didn't.

"Seriously, Annabeth?" She asked, rolling her eyes dramatically. I laughed as Annabeth gave her best friend a glare.

"I've always wanted to see the-"

"Parthenon." Thalia and I said in unison. Annabeth gave us both a look.

"What? You've told us that _each _a million times, WiseGirl." I chuckled, as she rolled her eyes at us.

"Whatever." She muttered, taking my hand. "Let's get to the hotel. We'll stay at the hotel today, and then start our search tomorrow." We all walked up the steps to a hotel near the airport.

The lobby was painted a nice golden color, and everything inside was royal, like a king's palace. There were domes with intricate glass roofs where the light peeked through.

I had to admit, it was beautiful. Thalia raised an eyebrow at the lobby, later scrunching her nose up in distatse.

"You don't like it?" I asked Thalia, and she turned to me.

"Nah, not really. Too..._gold_. I mean, there's absolutely _no _black." She complained, and I shook my head, resulting in a good hit to my head. Annabeth was too busy looking at everything around us to even notice. I smirked at Thalia and for once, we had the same idea.

With practiced agility, we both snuck up on her from the back so she didn't see. I brought my hands to her shoulders discreetly and then nodded at Thalia.

Thalia shouted in Annabeth's face and I held her shoulders, shaking them roughly, except making sure she didn't gey hurt.

An earsplitting scream came from her mouth.

"PERCY! THALIA! You guys are _so _dead!" She said, a hand on her chest to slow her heart beat again. The people who weren't watching even after the scream were definetly watching now.

Thalia and I shrugged and fist bumped each other. She angrily stormed to the counter to get our rooms and I smirked at her retreating figure. Once we got our room key, we headed to the 9th floor and went into our room. It was pretty good; it had a small kitchen, a nice living room, and a cozy bedroom with two queen beds. The two bathrooms were also pretty good.

Thalia grinned and jumped on one of the beds, relaxing for a while.

"I call this bed. You two sleep on the other one." She said. "Oh, and please, no _nonsense_ in the other bed either. Tell me beforehand, so I can flee for safety." she added innocently.

Annabeth's cheeks were a bright red, and she was looking down in embarrassment. I just scowled and walked up to Annabeth and put my hands around her waist.

"Are you sure you two should'nt sleep in one bed and _I_ get the other one to myself?" I asked, smirking. She growled at me and gave Annabeth a look.

"If you agree to that, I will not forgive you. In fact, I will play a very nasty prank on you." She said, smiling evilly. Annabeth sighed and looked at me.

"I guess we're stuck together." She mumbled. I smirked and pulled her so we were both sitting on the other bed, her in my lap.

"I don't think it's that bad of an idea." I whispered next to her ear, smirking as she shuddered. I could see her blushing again and she gave me a playful whack on the chest. Chuckling, I released her from my grip and she went to get her laptop.

"Okay, so, we need a plan. I was thinking Thalia can go ask someone in the lobby about them or something so she can see the place. I will check my computed and Percy...get us food." She said, smirking at me. I groaned and decided to call a pizza and pasta restaurant I saw on the way here.

I was really happy I wrote down the number when we were waiting.

Annabeth set straight to work and I called the food place, ordering one bowl of pasta a three person slices of parmesan cheese pizza. He probably figured I was a visitor because Annabeth told me people around here don't eat pizza too much. Sucks for them.

Thalia had left a while back, but I hadn't expected her to come back so soon. The door opened to show her with her hand clutching someone else's arm, her face in shock.

I froze in my place. It couldn't be.

But it was.

"Percy..."

* * *

**Cliffhanger! IMPORTANT UPDATING A/N BELOW! PLEASE READ!**

****Next Update: Honestly? I don't know. It's either next week, or August 24th. I'm really sorry, but I'm going out of the country on Wednesday, but I'll see if I can fit in another chapter by then. Hopefully Monday, 07/29. Or Tuesday. Sorry aboout the long wait, but I will try and prewrite some chapters in my free time.****

**R&R, Who do you think it is? (Hint: This person _is _mentioned in this story already.) First person to guess th right answer gets a shout-out!**

**Please review/favorite/follow!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Finally, after a long break, I'm back! I know my updating isn't constant yet, but it's getting there. I want to revise this story after I finish this chapter.**

**Anyway, thanks for the wait, and you guys finally get to see if you guessed right on who the mystery person is!**

* * *

Annabeth's POV

I stared at the boy in the hallway; trying to put a name to his face. He looked familiar; with pale, ivory skin and dark obsidian eyes, but I couldn't identify him.

I turned to look at Percy and bit back a gasp of surprise when I looked into his eyes. They were locked with the stranger's, swirling with many unreadable emotions. Sadness, grief, and anger were a few, but the most prominent was guilt.

Guilt? I thought hard about it, when suddenly, it hit me.

_Of course,_ I thought.

The boy standing in our doorway was none other than Nico di Angelo.

"Nico..." Percy whispered, raw emotion evident in his voice. Nico sent him a small smile; so small you would think it was nonexistent.

"What…" Percy started, unable to go on. Thalia, whom I had momentarily forgotten, continued for Percy.

"Nico, what are you doing here?" Thalia inquired; her voice soft but void of any emotion.

Nico gave me a wary look before turning back to his cousins.

"It's a long story ... I rather not go into it." He said hoarsely, as if seeing Thalia and Percy had triggered bad memories.

"_A long story?!_" Percy hissed, finally managing to speak again. "Nico, you literally disappeared for 3 _years_! We _deserve _a goddamn explanation!" Anger rolled of him in waves as he glared at Nico. Nico flinched but did not look away from him.

"Percy, I know you're angry, but give him some time." Thalia mumbled at Percy, leading Nico to the couch to sit down. She soon turned to him. "We were scared, Nico. We had lost enough people; we didn't need someone else to leave too." Nico sighed and leaned back into the couch.

"I know." He muttered, obviously slightly upset himself. "It's just, she was all I had left, and I lost her. You know how I can hold quite a grudge, right? I knew if I stayed, I would never get over her death, so I left. It was for the best." Nico said. Percy was still giving him an angry look, but the relief in his eyes said another story.

"You could have told us...you could have told me." Percy whispered.

"You don't understand." He said, looking down.

"Well, you should know-"

"Percy." All three pairs of eyes turned to me, but it didn't bother me too much. "Nico's right. You were there when she... when it happened, so Nico couldn't really talk to you about it without getting angry. He probably should have told you first, but he really did leave thinking it was the best option for him and all of you." I finished, leaving them shocked I could figure that out. Nico gave me a cautious look.

"You're right." He said. "Do you mind if I ask how you know so much?" He asked curiously, looking between Percy and me.

"We told her. Not everything; but enough." Thalia said. "She's like my sister and she is Percy's girlfriend so I know we can trust her."

Nico stared at Percy. "She's your _girlfriend_? But aren't you still in the gang?" He asked incredulously. Percy looked quite guilty about it, but I decided to step in.

"So what if he is? I personally don't care and I became his girlfriend _after_ the boss dragged me into this whole mess." I said stubbornly, making Nico put on a small smirk.

"I like you." He murmured in approval. I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. "And what 'mess' are we talking about?" He asked, confusion clear in his eyes.

Percy's face became grim. "The boss sent me on a mission...he said we need to kill the Olympians. Or in other words, our missing parents." Percy said. Nico's eyes widened, but his eyes were still unreadable.

"Well, lucky for you, I know someone who can help you." Nico said, standing up abruptly. "I should be going now, but here is the address. If he asks, say I sent you." Nico handed us a piece of paper with messy handwriting scribbled in the center.

"Thanks, Nico. This time, keep in touch." Percy said, smiling at him.

"I second that, Death Breath." Thalia smirked.

A small smile appeared on his face as he nodded at me. He walked out the door, leaving Thalia, Percy and me in the living room of our hotel room.

"Well, that was interesting." Percy said, grinning and wrapping his hand around my waist. "I'm glad he's okay. Anyway, when do you want to meet our mystery helper?" Percy asked, looking expectantly at me for an answer.

"Right after we eat. And don't forget the pictures." I said. Thalia and Percy nodded.

* * *

After we finished eating, we took what we needed and set out to find the helper's house. As we walked along the road, I tried to memorize every detail, wishing I was here on vacation, not a death quest.

Biting back a sigh, I walked up to a tall, shady mansion at the corner of the street. It was isolated from the rest of the houses and wasn't very pleasant to look at. I held up the paper with the address to check if it was the right place.

"Well, this is it." I stated, watching as Thalia and Percy stood at my sides staring at the house.

"It's so..." Percy started.

"Black?" Thalia finished, broadly grinning. "I think I'm going to like this guy." I rolled my eyes and held Percy's hand as we followed Thalia past the gate and to the door.

Thalia knocked on the door twice, and being the impatient girl she is, tapped her foot on the cement with a scowl on her face. She pounded on the door one more time before groaning out loud.

"Why isn't he opening the door?" She shouted. "We have already been here for-"

She was interrupted with the sound of the door being unlocked. Inside stood a tall, beautiful, young woman with pale skin and curled black hair, wearing a white dress, which looked as if the colors that were on it before had been washed out.

"Why, hello." She said, looking unusually overjoyed to have visitors. She realized we were thinking that because she gave us a welcoming smile. "It's been a while since I've seen visitors. My husband hates people in general, so he never invites anyone. But since you're already here, follow me." She said.

She still hadn't introduced herself, and walking into a _complete_ stranger's house did make me uncomfortable, but I pulled myself together and stepped in after Thalia.

We walked down the narrow hallway, up an awful lot of stairs, and finally we were taken to a den which was about the size of my entire house. It was like an office, except the entire place was customized for one person. Why didn't she take us to the living room? I don't know.

"Well, I'm sure you aren't here to see me, so let me call my husband. Meanwhile, you three can just wait there." She said, gesturing to a row of chairs in one side of the room. I listened as her footsteps dimmed and finally vanished completely. Percy, Thalia and I exchanged looks.

"That was really weird." Percy said, looking at the door through which she left from to make sure she wasn't still there. Thalia nodded in agreement with Percy's statement.

"She's just being friendly, I guess." I reasoned, but Thalia gave me a look.

"'Being friendly?'" She asked. "She clearly said no one had come here in forever so something must be up." Thalia said.

"Well, maybe they're just antisocial." Percy suggested, and I sighed.

"Who cares. Nico said whoever lives here can help us, so we might as well stay and listen to what has to be said." I muttered. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, our eyes wandering around the room at the various antiques laying here and there.

Soon enough, I heard footsteps again and the same lady appeared again with another lady behind her. They looked nearly identical, excluding the fact that the first lady was younger. Way younger.

"My husband is on his way. He had some errands he needed to finish." She said, smiling and taking a seat next to the other woman. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet. So, I'm Persephone and that's my mother Demeter." She said, and I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing. Persephone? Demeter?

_These guys must love Greek Myths, _I thought. But then again, we _were_ in Greece.

"Nice you meet you." I said politely, shoving my internal thoughts to the side. "I'm Annabeth. That's Percy, and that's Thalia." I said, pointing to Percy and Thalia as I said their names.

"We know who you are." We all turned to see a man walking into the room, his deep obsidian eyes studying each of us with distaste.

"Have we met before?" Percy asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember the man.

"No." He said simply. "But I do know your parents. And I know that's why your here."

"Wait." Thalia held her hands up. "You know our fathers?" She asked.

"And the blonde one's mother, yes." I bit back a growl at being called 'blonde'. Percy wrapped his arm around me in a comforting gesture, helping me relax again.

"How?" Thalia demanded. The man chuckled.

"Her mother is my niece. And as for your fathers, they're my brothers." We looked at him with our mouths agape. "I'm Hades."

* * *

**There! I know it wasn't that long or eventful, but I will write a better chapter next time.**

**The first person to guess our mystery boy here was Nico was...**drum roll****

**'Finding Adventures'! **

**But good job to all of you who got it right. I give you all a virtual high-five.**

**Anyways, as for updating, ****I want to revise this story; adding more detail and fixing grammatical errors.**

**As a result, I am going to be working on that for a while. I also might change parts of the story and the summary a little, so don't be surprised when it's not the same. I still have the same plot; but I want to make it a bit more interesting and add more clues and suspense. This will take me a while, but I will try my best to finish quickly so I can continue updating regularly.**

****Next Update: Friday, September 13. Yes, I know it's late, but I need to revise the story and school starts again so my schedule is getting a little busier. Thanks for understanding.** (:**

**I WILL BE POSTING THE UPDATE FOR MY OTHER STORY LATER TODAY, NO WORRIES! **

**Please review/favorite/follow! I love reading your reviews.  
**


	16. Chapter 16: AN

**I know sorry isn't enough, but I'm truly very sorry for my slow updating. I am down with a cold again (No kidding, I actually do have another cold), and I am getting back into the cycle of school.**

**Since summer vacation is done, my updating will slow down as I get busier, so here's the new schedule;**

**I will update 'Problems, Secrets, and Love' once a month and 'A Kiss on the Subway' once a month. If I don't update, I will try to make up for it before the next one's deadline.**

**Thanks for understanding, and the next update for both stories is going to be Monday, September 22nd. **

**Thanks for waiting and once again, I'm extremely sorry for my slow updating.**

**-girlofalltalents**


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